Sewerage
Wide Bay Water is responsible for the maintenance of the Council sewer mains.
The owner / occupier of any premises is responsible for maintaining the house drainage line.
Council is not responsible for clearing blockages in a house drainage line within private properties. However it will clear a blockage within the "jump-up", which is the connection between the Council sewer and private house drain.
Tree roots can cause significant damage to sewers and house drains. Property owners are advised to consider the location of sewers before planting trees.
Special care needs to be taken when selecting trees for gardens, and information is available at the Customer Service Centre for appropriate sized trees/shrubs in the different areas of the City.
Commonly planted trees which cause problems are gums, figs, rubber plants, willows, mango trees, poincianas, coral trees, West African tulip trees, umbrella trees and camphor laurels.
On-Site Sewerage Facilities
Household Sewerage Treatment Plants (H.S.T.P.) treat all waste water and generally use more treatment processes than a septic tank. These plants may be specified in some estates which are close to a waterway or where environmental conditions must be protected.
Council has a list of Treatment Plants that have been approved by Department of Natural Resources for installation in the Hervey Bay Local Authority.
To ensure the proper operation of the plant, inspections and maintenance by a qualified service agent shall be carried out at least once every 3 months, and a report submitted to Council detailing work carried out on the plant. More information on H.S.T.P.s may be obtained by contacting individual manufacturers.
Septic tanks
Septic tanks can break down or not work properly, especially when they are a few years old.
To ensure your septic tank is working correctly and will continue to work without producing bad odours and health risks, there are a number of aspects of be considered:
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septic tanks should be pumped out every three to five years;
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to start up a new or pumped out septic tank you should fill the tank with clean water, then add a handful of lime to prevent odours and to increase the pH (alkalinity) which encourages bacterial growth;
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ensure lids and inspection openings of the septic tank are above ground level, free of cracks, properly sealed and easily accessible;
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use easily degradable toilet paper and biodegradable cleaning products that are low in phosphate and sodium;
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all vents should be mosquito protected
The forms "Permit to install H.S.T.P.", "Permit for On-Site Sewerage Facility" and "Disposal Area Location" must be signed by the owner and submitted to Council with the Plumbing/Building application.
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