Understanding your sewerage service

Reticulated sewer systems are most common in urban areas of the Shoalhaven. If you are connected to Council's reticulation system, 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 the 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 reticulated sewer 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 an area with a 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:

• Septic systems have on-site effluent disposal,
• Pump-out systems have regular scheduled pumpouts, and
• Aerated wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) have on-site effluent disposal.

Click on the button below to learn more about your effluent system and how to maintain it.

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

The pressure sewer system on your property is owned and maintained by Shoalhaven Water and will have been installed in a position that is accessible for servicing. At no times are they to be adjusted, serviced, or relocated by any persons other than Shoalhaven Water operations staff.

Click on the button below to learn more about your pressure sewer system.

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Regardless of what kind of sewerage system your property has, it is in your best interest to avoid costly blockages.

Some causes of a sewer blockage may include:

1. Wet wipes, tissues, kitchen paper, and rags being flushed down the toilet.
2. Rubbish, children’s toys, tennis balls, nappies, clothing, sanitary pads/tampons, cooking waste, sand, and other wastes not suitable for flushing into the sewer system.
3. Tree roots infiltrating the property pipes.
4. Crushed or flattened pipes that have been damaged.
5. Pipes that have been laid poorly.

Whilst Shoalhaven Water will clear a blockage within the Council mains, your internal drainage lines are your responsibility.

Tree roots damage sewer lines and can lead to clogged, overflowing, and slow-flowing drains. If this occurs within your property it is your responsibility to contact a plumber and have it fixed.

Root damage can also let stormwater into the pipes. During heavy rain, this extra water can overload the sewer system causing it to overflow into our waterways and pollute the environment.