2016-07-12 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    12 JULY 2016


REPORTS FOR NOTING BY THE COMMITTEE

15   WASTE WATER FACILITY AUDIT - COORAN
Author            Acting Building and Plumbing Manager, Craig Morley
                  Planning & Infrastructure Department

Index             ECM / Subject / Plumbing Management / Legislation

Attachments       Nil


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Acting Building and Plumbing Services Manager to the
Planning and Environment Committee Meeting dated 12 July 2016 regarding the Cooran waste
water facility audit.


REPORT
The purpose of this report is to provide information with regard to audits carried out on existing
residential waste water facilities installed in the Cooran area.

Background

Council is legislatively obligated to administer and maintain a register of Council approved waste
water facilities and all servicing requirements of primary, secondary and advanced waste water
systems within its boundaries. This obligation may require Council to enforce actions for
rectification of systems and in some cases consider prosecution to ensure that a high level of
health and safety standard is maintained, and that illegal discharge of effluent is prevented thus
protecting the waterways, flora and fauna of the Shire.

To date, the register includes 3,109 septic installations, 2,161 secondary/ advanced waste water
systems and 86 holding tank waste water systems. Council receives and processes 8,000
service reports from service agents and undertakes an average 100 site inspections annually.

Council currently has in place a programme to register and manage complaints relating to these
systems to ensure that servicing requirements of these systems are undertaken.

Structure of Cooran On-site Waste Water Facility Audit

Council’s Strategic Planning Branch approached Building & Plumbing Services to assist with
gathering data and information in relation to on-site waste water treatment systems. The
information gathered is to assist with policy and process development in relation to the future
management of on-site waste water treatment, through the planning scheme.

The Cooran area was selected due to it being a completely non-sewered area, and its proximity
to creeks and waterways. Letters to all 577 property owners were sent on 1 June 2016
requesting entry to their property to carry out an assessment of their waste water treatment
system, this included septic, aerated waste treatment systems and advanced enviro-septic
systems.



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