❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the approval and standards of non-reticulated sewage treatment systems, specifically septic tanks and alternative treatment systems, and the role of local governments in their installation.
AnsweredQoN 2738Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Health Department's approval of non-reticulated sewage treatment, and I ask: (a) do dual septic tanks and dual leach drain systems comply with Australian standards for sewage treatment in Western Australia; (b) do those same systems in (a) remove all nitrogen and phosphorus; (c) are local governments in Western Australia approving new septic tank and leach drain sewage units; (d) if yes to (c), do these units comply with Australian standards; (e) what standards are set for Approved Alternative Treatment Systems; (f) can Approved Alternative Treatment Systems be tested in Western Australia for compliance; (g) if yes to (f), at what cost; (h) if no to (f), where can they be tested and at what cost; and (i) what regulations do local government council health officers follow to approve sewage systems?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 March 2020
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Health
Response time
10 days
I am advised:
(a) No. In Western Australia (WA), the Code of Practice for Product Approval of Onsite Wastewater Systems sets the minimum requirements for manufacturers to obtain approval by the Chief Health Officer (CHO) to produce or sell their Onsite Wastewater Systems (OWSs).
(b) No.
(c) No. Local governments do not approve OWSs, but they do approve installation of CHO approved OWSs that are intended to serve:
· a single dwelling; or
· any other building that produces not more than 540 litres of sewage per day.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) Standards are set in the Code of Practice for Product Approval of Onsite Wastewater Systems . Alternative Treatment Systems claiming secondary effluent quality are required to comply with AS 1546.3 onsite domestic wastewater treatment unit Part 3: secondary treatment systems.
(f) No.
(g) Not applicable.
(h) Alternative Treatment Systems can be tested and certified by the Joint Accreditation Product of Australia and New Zealand (“JAS-ANZ”) certification body which operates throughout Australia and New Zealand. Location and cost of testing by the certification body can be obtained by contacting them directly.
(i)(i) Local governments do not approve sewage systems as a product but do approve installations of certain systems in accordance with Health (Treatment of Sewage and Disposal of Effluent and Liquid Waste) Regulations 1974.
(a) No. In Western Australia (WA), the Code of Practice for Product Approval of Onsite Wastewater Systems sets the minimum requirements for manufacturers to obtain approval by the Chief Health Officer (CHO) to produce or sell their Onsite Wastewater Systems (OWSs).
(b) No.
(c) No. Local governments do not approve OWSs, but they do approve installation of CHO approved OWSs that are intended to serve:
· a single dwelling; or
· any other building that produces not more than 540 litres of sewage per day.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) Standards are set in the Code of Practice for Product Approval of Onsite Wastewater Systems . Alternative Treatment Systems claiming secondary effluent quality are required to comply with AS 1546.3 onsite domestic wastewater treatment unit Part 3: secondary treatment systems.
(f) No.
(g) Not applicable.
(h) Alternative Treatment Systems can be tested and certified by the Joint Accreditation Product of Australia and New Zealand (“JAS-ANZ”) certification body which operates throughout Australia and New Zealand. Location and cost of testing by the certification body can be obtained by contacting them directly.
(i)(i) Local governments do not approve sewage systems as a product but do approve installations of certain systems in accordance with Health (Treatment of Sewage and Disposal of Effluent and Liquid Waste) Regulations 1974.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.