On-site Sewage Management Reports
Service Overview
ON-SITE SEWAGE MANAGEMENT ADVICE AND REPORTS (OSSM).
We provide expert advice and reports for Council’s approval of On-Site Sewage Management Systems (OSSM).
Building a new house?
If you are building a new house and cannot connect to a mains sewerage system, Council will require you to seek approval as part of your Development Application to install and operate an On-Site Sewage Management Facility (OSSM).
This system will treat waste water, including effluent, from your household within the bounds of your property. As part of Council’s approval process, you will need to submit a Site and Soil Evaluation Report to determine the types of management systems that will be appropriate given your site’s soil and landscape constraints. These reports are often also called Effluent Disposal Reports or Effluent Design Reports.
We can help you to work out the best system for you.
OSSM Includes,
- Septic tanks
- Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems
- Composting toilets, biological Systems and Domestic Greywater Treatment Devices.
These all require a way to dispose of the treated wastewater via absorption trenches, evapotranspiration beds, or surface and subsurface irrigation. The physical characteristics of your property – slope, water flow lines, soil type and geological features – will have an impact on how and where wastewater can be disposed on your site.
It is critical that you install and operate a system that is suited to your site and its constraints. Inappropriate treatment systems, or ones that are not operating correctly, can have serious implications for the health of those living in your home as well as the natural environment. Councils have a program of routine inspections of OSSM to ensure that all are operating safely.
Extending an existing house?
If you are extending an existing house that already has an OSSM, Councils usually require a report that assesses whether your existing system has the capacity to operate effectively for a larger dwelling.
We can carry out a System Assessment for submission to Council, which is usually a straightforward assessment of your system and site. If necessary, we can also provide the required reports to install a larger capacity system.
In New South Wales, Councils are required by law to maintain a register of the approvals granted for OSSM including the address, system details and any consent conditions. Once an OSSM is installed and operating, householders are responsible for its correct operation and maintenance, including appropriate service contracts being in place.