Understanding your sewerage service

Reticulated sewerage systems are most common in the urban areas of the Shoalhaven. If you are connected to Council's network, it means your wastewater is transferred through a series of underground pipes to one of 13 wastewater treatment plants across the region. 

Shoalhaven Water is responsible for operating and maintaining this extensive network of sewer pipes.

As a property owner, it is your responsibility to:

• Ensure access is available to any sewer inspection point within your property.
• Maintain all the pipes within the property through to the point of connection of our sewer network.
• Prevent stormwater from entering the sewer system.

Stormwater should never enter the sewer network. Stormwater entering into the sewer network is a common cause for sewer overflow.

If your home is not connected to Council’s sewerage system, then you are likely disposing of your wastewater via an on-site sewage management system. These types of systems are more common in rural areas or towns that are not near the reticulated system.

Although there are many variations of on-site effluent systems, there are 3 main types in use in the Shoalhaven, and they are:

Effluent Pumpout Systems are inground tanks registered with us to receive ongoing regular scheduled pumpouts.

Septic Tank (absorption) Systems are inground tanks that operate an on-site effluent disposal such as a trench or seep-away system.

Aerated Wastewater Treatment Systems (AWTS) are inground tanks that treat the effluent before discharging it through an on-site effluent disposal system.

More information on these types of systems can be found when you click on the above headings. 

Pressure Sewer Systems are generally located in areas where conventional gravity systems are not a viable servicing option, such as on flat or rocky terrain. They operate like a normal sewerage system by taking wastewater from your home and transferring it to the local reticulation system and then on to a sewage treatment plant. 

If this kind of system services your property, it will be installed in a location that is accessible for Shoalhaven Water to maintain it.  At no times are they to be adjusted, serviced, or relocated by any persons other than Shoalhaven Water operations staff.