Designing and Installing On-Site Wastewater Systems a Sydney Catchment Authority Current Recommended Practice
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Designing and Installing On-Site Wastewater Systems A Sydney Catchment Authority Current Recommended Practice Designing and Installing On-SiteDesigning Wastewater and InstallingSystems On-Site Wastewater Systems A Sydney Catchment Authority CurrentA Sydney Recommended Catchment PracticeAuthority Current Recommended Practice 1 Document Control Version Date Document Administrator Peer Review Draft June 2010 Planning and Assessments, SCA Industry Review Draft May 2011 Planning and Assessments, SCA Publication May 2012 Planning and Assessments, SCA Acknowledgements ‘Designing and Installing On-site Wastewater Systems’ (the Manual) was prepared by Bob Banens, Alison Kniha, Greg Greene and Jim Caddey of the Sydney Catchment Authority, and is based on a report prepared by Whitehead & Associates Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd and Kerry Flanagan Wastewater. An early draft was peer reviewed by SEEC Morse McVey Pty Ltd and Sowdes Pty Ltd. The final draft was reviewed by the Master Plumbers Association, NSW Health, the Division of Local Government and the Local Government Reference Panel. Disclaimer This Manual provides technical information to help design, install, inspect and assess on-site hydraulic effluent management systems in the Sydney drinking water catchment. The information contained in the Manual is current, accurate and complete at the time of publication. The Sydney Catchment Authority does not make or give any representation or warranty that complying with the recommended practices in the Manual will produce an effective hydraulic effluent management system and will not be liable in negligence, breach of contract or statutory duty for failure of the system or the consequences of that failure. Reference to any particular product or service in this Manual does not imply any endorsement by the Sydney Catchment Authority. The information in this Manual is based on independent research by Whitehead & Associates Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd. Recommendations are based on an honest appraisal of available information, subject to the limited scope and resources available for this project, and follow relevant best practice standards and guidelines where applicable. Copyright Note © State of New South Wales through the Sydney Catchment Authority, 2012. You may copy, distribute, display, download or otherwise freely deal with this work for any purpose, provided that you attribute the Sydney Catchment Authority as the owner. However, you must obtain permission if you wish to (1) charge others for access to the work (other than at cost), (2) include the work in advertising or a product for sale, or (3) modify the work. i 2i Table of Contents 1. Introduction............................................................................................. 2 1.1 This Manual ................................................................................... 3 1.2 Using this Manual with other guidelines, standards and tools ............. 4 1.3 Technical issues and problems with effluent management ................. 4 1.4 Designer and installer – improving practice and communication ......... 5 1.5 How to use this Manual................................................................... 6 2. Wastewater Site Assessment and System Selection.......................... 9 2.1 Assessing the wastewater site......................................................... 9 2.2 Wastewater standards and SCA requirements................................ 10 2.3 Selecting a system ....................................................................... 17 2.4 System location............................................................................ 20 2.4 Case study .................................................................................. 26 3. Septic Tanks.......................................................................................... 27 4. Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems ........................................... 43 5. Biological Filter System....................................................................... 62 6. Composting Toilets .............................................................................. 77 7. Greywater Treatment Systems............................................................ 86 8. Amended Soil Mounds......................................................................... 95 9. Sand Mounds ...................................................................................... 107 10. Absorption Trenches and Beds ........................................................ 119 11. Evapotranspiration / Absorption Beds............................................. 142 12. Surface Irrigation................................................................................ 155 13. Subsurface Irrigation.......................................................................... 171 14. Emerging Technology........................................................................ 192 15. Acronyms ............................................................................................ 198 16. Glossary .............................................................................................. 199 17. References .......................................................................................... 204 Appendix 1................................................................................................. 207 Appendix 2................................................................................................. 209 Appendix 3................................................................................................. 212 Appendix 4................................................................................................. 217 ii 3ii Design and Installation of On-site Wastewater Systems DESIGNING AND INSTALLING ON-SITE WASTEWATER SYSTEMS Many on-site wastewater systems installed in the Sydney drinking water catchment have failed from the day they began operating. The Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) recognises the common failure of systems in the drinking water catchment is partly due to the lack of readily available technical information about installations. This Manual provides technical installation details not included in other guidelines or documents on domestic wastewater management. It brings together detailed design aspects of a variety of common effluent disposal systems and emerging technology. It provides checklists and standard drawings for approving authorities, system installers and owners. All information in the Manual relates to the SCA’s drinking water catchment, but may have a wider benefit elsewhere in NSW. 1 41 Design and Installation of On-site Wastewater Systems 1. Introduction The Sydney drinking water catchment covers approximately 16,000 square kilometres and supplies drinking water to around four and a half million people in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands (Figure 1.1). Figure 1.1 Map of the drinking water catchment 2 52 Design and Installation of On-site Wastewater Systems There are approximately 15,000 on-site wastewater systems in the catchment across 15 local government areas. A range of common technical and design faults encountered when installing on-site wastewater systems in the catchment can lead to health and water quality risks. Under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Sydney Drinking Water Catchment) 2011 (the SEPP), any development in the catchment that requires consent from council, including any on-site wastewater system1, must show a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality (NorBE). This Manual will help meet the requirements of the SEPP as they apply to on-site wastewater systems. On-site wastewater systems are designed according to ‘AS/NZS 1547:2012 On-site Domestic Wastewater Management’ and the Department of Local Government’s ‘Environment & Health Protection Guidelines: On-site Sewage Management for Single Households’ (the ‘Silver Book’, Department of Local Government, 1998). However, these publications do not provide detailed and complete advice about properly installing on-site systems. As a result, designs are often inadequate and/or their objectives fail due to poor installation. When these systems fail they present a risk to water quality and human health. 1.1 This Manual This Manual will help system installers, design consultants, property owners, council officers, Sydney Catchment Authority officers, plumbers and contractors to ensure best practice methods are used to design and install on-site wastewater systems in Sydney’s drinking water catchment. It is a technical manual for design and construction that brings together and builds on existing documents about on-site wastewater and plumbing. The Manual gives practical and appropriate solutions for specific site constraints for the more common types of systems found in the catchment, and some innovative systems likely to become more common. Illustrated case studies and examples demonstrate common issues and suggest mitigation measures to minimise the risk of failure. There are annotated Standard Drawings, numerous tables, and checklists to design, install, construct and assess various systems, emphasising sound hydraulic design. The Manual does not extensively cover choosing the size or type of system. This choice must be made according to ‘AS/NZS 1547:2012 On-site Domestic Wastewater Management’ and the Department of Local Government’s ‘Environment & Health Protection Guidelines: On-site Sewage Management for Single Households’ (the ‘Silver