The second major stage of the 'water sensitive urban design' concerns onsite treatment of all waste water. The new home site has a wonderful river frontage, but is in a 1 in 100 risk flood zone which has prevented installation of reticulated sewerage in an otherwise established suburb. The riparian positioning and flood risk placed the project in a category where Advanced Secondary Treatment (AST) with nutrient removal of all household effluent was essential.

To explore potential options, telephone or email communication with every domestic waste water treatment plant manufacturer began with those listed in the Queensland Government Local Government and Planning Website. Feedback obtained on the OzziKleen RP10A system was consistent and positive. Several sites around Australia using the OzziKleen RP10A were inspected and we maintained telephone and email contact with the manufacturer, SunCoast Waste Water as well as visiting the factory twice.

Permission to install the OzziKleen RP10A system was obtained under s4 of the Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code 2006, which allows the installation of treatment plants under test case conditions. The OzziKleen RP10A features custom modifications for this project (due to aforementioned site conditions, but not affecting system performance). The test installation must satisfy regular, frequent and independent assessments of effluent standard over a six month period. This testing regime is still current.

A scholarly paper summarising this project will be presented at ARCSA 07 and WSUD 07 conferences. Download it here.