Every Australian community should have a way of disposing the sewage its population produces to ensure that people and animals cannot touch it and are not exposed to it. This is called a sewerage system.
There are several different types of sewerage systems in Australia – and around the world – ranging from on-site septic systems to Wastewater Treatment Plants. Here are several ways our wastewater and sewerage are properly dealt with in communities around Australia.
On-site disposal system
On-site disposal systems are common sewerage systems in Australia, especially in rural areas that are without a centralized sewer system. They are used to treat wastewater from a home or business and return the treated wastewater back into the environment.
Typically referred to as septic systems, they use a combination of nature and technology to treat wastewater from the plumbing of a house or building. All the waste from a building’s facilities – bathroom, toilet, laundry, and sinks – go through pipes that carry it to a septic tank. The treated effluent – wastewater – is then disposed of through drains, often referred to as a leach or French drains, into the surrounding environment.
If professionally installed and maintained, on-site disposal systems offer many environmental benefits – particularly in regard to public sewer lines and systems.
Full sewage treatment plant
Sewage treatment plants operate by connecting facilities in households and buildings directly to the treatment plant. The waste and liquid from toilets, showers and all other types of waterways are connected to sewer pipes directly and are pumped to the treatment plant – referred to as a lagoon.
The waste is treated by circulating air to encourage the growth of bacteria to break down the sewage. The goal is to deliver a much cleaner and more environmentally friendly effluent. As one of the most important sewerage systems in Australia, it is vital to larger communities and cities – with many communities utilising more than one for their population.
Effluent disposal system
This method of sewerage system takes the effluent from the community and carries it through large pipes to a facility – the lagoon. These pipes are connected to every house and building in the local community – with the sewage either being treated in septic tanks at the houses or buildings, or at the lagoon.
This is one of the most common sewerage systems in Australia for localised communities. It differs from a full sewage treatment plant as it operates at a smaller scale than what a larger treatment plant does.
The team at AWD Civil have a diverse range of skill and expertise in all facets of sewerage infrastructure and sewerage systems in Australia. If you have a project that needs doing contact our team at 07 3200 5766.