Grey and black water treatment on small rural block « Alternative Technology Assn Forums

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Grey and black water treatment on small rural block

(13 posts) (12 voices)

Started 10 years ago by Tom Butler
Latest reply from wormfarm

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Tom Butler
Member

Hi,

I am considering purchasing a small rural block which does not have access to the town waste water system. The block has two small dams and I want to build a house there also.

I have been advised by the council that I cannot install septic tanks or run off grey water within 60m of a house, 100m of a dam or 50m from the boundary. These paramaters limit the area I can build on significantly!

I have not yet approached the council about this option but based on the experience of others I am expecting some resistance.

- What options are available for on site treatment of black and grey water to get around this issue?

- Are there complete solutions?

- Has anybody got any experience with such systems?

- Can anybody offer any advice on cost and how to overcome negative perceptions of this approach?

Thanks for any responses in advance!

Tom

Posted Monday 6 Jun 2011 @ 11:51:24 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

ask council what they permit and recommend .
get them on side early in the project .
they are bureaucrats and like to be involved ,and if you are nice to them they may even help !

Posted Monday 6 Jun 2011 @ 7:01:46 pm from IP #
SteveJ
Member

Tom

I agree, go back to council, our local council has a complete list of all systems approved for use in the shire, it is a surprisingly big list of systems, that is the obvious place to start.

I would avoid the creation of black water with a waterless composting toilet system. This would reduce the amount (and type) of water you need to deal with straight up. As soon a you mix water with sewage you have a disposal problem because you need to then seperate the water back out. Seems silly to mix the waste with water just to move it around and S bend. Having a single grey water system to deal with is do-able, there area a bunch of grey water reuses systems out there.

Intresting problem but there is solutions, let us know how you go.

Steve

Posted Tuesday 7 Jun 2011 @ 1:23:19 pm from IP #
cw nsw
Member

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/water/wastewater/onsite.asp

some pdf's & various links on EPA VIC site should give you some useful background information.

my own experience with councils, is that asking for advice etc pays dividends! keep in mind too, that some rulings are statewide, and not just the whim of a council officer that you are dealing with.

with septic systems, the soil type/profile is a key determinant regarding the siting and type of system in relation to waterways, dams, boundaries etc.

Posted Tuesday 7 Jun 2011 @ 11:13:51 pm from IP #
Chrisv
Member

Hi Tom,

How did you go with your problem. I am at the stage of looking at green systems also.

Cheers.

Chris

Posted Thursday 12 Jan 2012 @ 6:13:35 am from IP #
onrbikes
Member

Not sure if you have a water shortage issue but a waterless toilet may be another option.

We use a Rotaloo, thats inside the house and no odors for over 10 years. We have no water shortage and have given water away in lean times.
I think the cost now is 4K-5K but there"s is no plumbing, septic tank or pumping costs. Rotaloo even gives away a greywater design that accepted by all councils.

I have to rotate mine every 4 months which may be deemed a icky job.

Posted Sunday 15 Jan 2012 @ 1:37:00 pm from IP #
John Sheridan
Member

How about shower water and washing up water, is that considered grey water, would think so, but that would be easy to use and treat, to a pond or tank use it to water trees etc.

Cheers.

Posted Monday 14 Oct 2013 @ 6:03:26 pm from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

all waste water except toilet water considered grey water . water from toilet known as black water

Posted Monday 14 Oct 2013 @ 7:10:10 pm from IP #
David
Member

Grey water is typically from these types of drains:- Showers, baths, hand basins, laundry, washing machine.
Easy way to use is directly out to various places on a garden or similar with only a very simple filter that catches the fluff and hair that comes from those places.

Do not let it go into a pond/dam without treatment. Do not try and store it without treatment it will go septic very quickly and become a serious health hazard.

Brown water is typically the kitchen as it contains things like food scraps, oil, fat etc, these without treatment will clog the soil and create health hazards.

Typically sent the same place as black water for those reasons, it just should not be let out on a garden or the like for much the same reason as black water.

-----
If you want to make it easier on ones self we used a civil engineer rather than check with the council, he came and did all the tests suggested locations for different types of systems, wrote a report paid him with thanks.

When we applied for our building permits, they threw up the environmental bit, we stated we had an engineering report and supplied a copy accordingly it had minimum type of system we could put in, that was the end of that. No argument it complies with state & local EPA requirements saved us $4k even after paying for his services on the type of system they would have wanted us to put in.

An engineer trumps a council person who is not an engineer.

Posted Wednesday 16 Oct 2013 @ 4:55:10 am from IP #
proftournesol
Member

We are building within 80m of a watercourse (right on our boundary so we can't build further. We needed an exemption from the local water authority and are using a Rootzone reed bed system. The exemption came with a list of requirements but none were unreasonable.

Posted Saturday 9 Nov 2013 @ 5:23:40 am from IP #
Greg
Member

Some things to consider as well.Can you get a system that does not use pumps, chlorine etc? When building, part of the land selection criteria was a sloping block so we could manage "waste" water without too adverse an impact on the environment.
Like ProfTournesol we have a Rootzone system. Its gravity run and removes most of the nutrients before entering the local eco system.

Septic tank -> reed bed -> reed bed -> gravel dispersion trench.

Posted Sunday 10 Nov 2013 @ 11:08:52 pm from IP #
Billy O
Member

Tom,
I put in a worm farm waste system about 6 years ago.
Lots of problems with it and really poor service from the company.
Better to look at an alternative.
Cheers,
Bill.

Posted Monday 20 Jan 2014 @ 9:11:31 am from IP #
wormfarm
Member

If this is an A&A Worm Farm Waste System could you please get back in touch so we can assist. Many thanks

Posted Monday 17 Mar 2014 @ 4:44:49 am from IP #

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