Onsite Wastewater Management Plan

Effective treatment and management of domestic wastewater – principally consisting of water, sewage and other human-derived wastewater – is integral to managing risks to human health and the environment. Onsite Wastewater Management Systems (OWMS) that perform poorly can have a range of negative environmental, human health and amenity related impacts. This can involve discharging nutrients and pathogens into local drainage systems, waters, and creeks, causing boggy lawns and offensive odours, as well as a risk of illness following contact with effluent. Hindmarsh Shire Council plays an instrumental role in understanding and managing risks associated with OWMS that have a sewage flow rate below 5,000 litres a day.

This Onsite Wastewater Management Plan (OWMP) is a planning and management document that focuses on the Hindmarsh Shire Council’s understanding of the cumulative risks that OWMS presents in our municipality and shapes the Council’s activities in managing those risks now and into the future.

The identification and assessment of risks identified in this OWMP supports the development and implementation of actions to protect human health and the environment.

This OWMP was developed with input from relevant stakeholders and will help developers and regulators better appreciate the risks and steps Hindmarsh Shire Council is taking to protect human health and the environment.

ONSITE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN 2024-2029(PDF, 2MB)