Household Sewage News
April 18, 2019
Custom sewage treatment solutions for Unique Locations
When clients come to us with challenging sites and unique locations for their home sewage treatment, the True Water team is ready to deliver custom solutions. Through experience in many interesting locations, we are able to design and deliver systems for any situation. From harsh environments to remote locations.
Idyllic little coastal community works together to preserve their future
Running down the northern NSW coast from Yamba to the northern suburbs of Coffs Harbour is the stunning Yuraygir National Park. This undeveloped stretch of coastline is home to just a few tiny settlements. One of them is the sleepy village of Sandon that takes its name from the river it sits beside. It is a long way from the nearest traffic light, or even a sealed road.
Infrastructure is light in Sandon village, but the beauty of nature is everywhere. Living between the river and the ocean can throw up a few challenges when trying to install some basic necessities.
While the village has access to mains power, there are no other municipal services. Organising water supply, garbage disposal and sewerage treatment is the responsibility of the residents. Over the last few years, a quarter of the households in Sandon River have needed to replace their old wastewater treatment systems. All of them have chosen True Water Australia for the task.
Designing a custom solution to match the site conditions
Before we even began, we had some logistics to figure out. When people even getting to Sandon to view a house for sale makes the news, you know you are in for a challenge. For us, access to the village required driving our equipment and machinery along the beach at low tide and in one case floating the STP across the river. Once you’re in Sandon, you’re there for the day or until the next low tide, so being organised and having everything in place to do the job is crucial. For nearly all the sites, access is down narrow gaps beside houses or over fences. We needed a light and compact treatment system that would treat the wastewater to a high level, and be easy to freight, move around and install, so the pristine environment would remain protected.
The True Water design team chose the Fuji Clean CE1500EX Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to treat the household wastewater. These compact, modular units are designed in Japan and manufactured here in Australia.
Installing services in challenging and unique locations requires careful planning
For each home needing to update their domestic sewage treatment, the work began with the decommission and in most cases, the removal of the old system. Our team then installed the new STP, making use of any existing plumbing and infrastructure that could be retained. The land application area for the dispersal of the treated water also had to fit into tight spaces between existing buildings. This is as big a challenge as getting a packaged treatment system across a river or down the beach.
The use of excavators in tight spaces sometimes presented challenges, but each project was assessed before hand and planned carefully to avoid any issues. Some land application areas required additional attention as well to help deal with various soil structures in the limited space. After installation, the wastewater treatment system is commissioned, and the sites are returned to a neat and tidy condition.
The existing septic tank and trench system was failing, potentially impacting the unique environment. It was decommissioned and removed prior to the installation of the new Fuji Clean STP.
Our experienced team can install our compact sewage treatment systems in the most challenging and unique locations.
The home sewage treatment plant has been installed close to existing structures but with very little interference.
After installation of the custom home sewage treatment solution, True Water returns the site to its former condition.
Protecting the pristine Sandon River environment with World Leading technology
Once up and running, it is then that the True Water STP really shines. Tucked away below ground with its treatment chambers and microbes working away quietly, these systems produce the cleanest output of any domestic wastewater system in Australia. This is very important in Sandon Village. The high water table and proximity to the river and ocean make it a highly sensitive environment.
The residents of Sandon are part of a small and special community. They work together to preserve their community well into the future. You can go and see the beauty of Sandon River for yourself as well. Sandon village sits about half way along the 65km long Yuraygir Coastal Walk, so it is easy!