The South Australian approach to rural township community wastewater management

In South Australia, wastewater treatment and safe disposal in towns of less than 10,000 persons falls to local councils rather than water authorities. Community Wastewater Management Systems (CWMS) serve to collect, treat and re-use wastewater generated within townships. This paper outlines the elements of a CWMS and the common types of collection, treatment and re-use systems employed in South Australia. The decision process used in the design and implementation of a CWMS based on the author’s experience is outlined. This paper includes a brief discussion of funding models for construction and maintenance of a CWMS. The viability of inclusion of stormwater capture and re-use infrastructure as part of a CWMS is discussed in three examples.