Human waste. We don’t want to talk about it or engage with it, and in the realm of personal responsibility for most of us, what happens when you flush the toilet or empty the sink is somebody else’s problem. But if there isn’t a massive network of pipes and sewage treatment plants beyond your plughole then you will have to grapple with this issue, and that will mean your own disposal system.
Our rural forebears could dig a hole, build an outhouse with a cute moon shape cut into the door and when this pit filled, dig another hole. But the world has moved on, and there are now a range of ‘on site’ sewage treatment plants. The first step in deciding which direction to go is establishing the capacity of your land to deal with sewage.
For this, a land capacity assessment (LCA) is conducted by a specialist who will study the land make up, gradient, geology, vegetation, proposed land use and so on. And in particular the proximity of water courses, dams etc. Its rather less than perfect to fill the local water supply with E.coli!
The report will indicate the most cost-effective type and size of sewage treatment system applicable to your property, and you (or we) will not be able to get a building permit without it.
It may be a basic septic tank and distribution lines, or the same with an added sand filter. There are composting and worm farm plants and also treatment package systems. We have built them all.
It is important to consider an LCA even before the land is purchased, and certainly before the house design as in some (fortunately rare) cases a system suitable to the area just cannot be achieved. Or the number of bedrooms (or rooms that could be made into bedrooms) may be restricted.
The area required for the treated water distribution line scan be large and will be in a specific location on your block.
The repost costs vary but think in the order $3,000 plus.
Should this be another area of worry?
No! It’s our job to steer you through this with specialist companies we know and trust.
