Sewer

The full licence for the Gilgandra Sewage Treatment Plant (EPA # 4640) is available from the EPA website.

The objectives of this licence are to:

• Prevent as far as practicable sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant bypasses;
• Require proper and efficient management of the system to minimise harm to the environment and public health; and
• Require practical measures to be taken to protect the environment and public health from sewage overflows and sewage treatment plant effluent.

Data required under the licence is published in PDF format, and includes licence details, monitoring points, pollutants and units of measure, monitoring frequency, limits imposed by the licence, any other relevant conditions imposed by the licence, and dates of sampling, data acquisition and publication.

As a property owner, it is your responsibility to maintain or repair sewer pipes within your property, up to the connection to Council's sewer.  By maintaining your own property's sewer pipes and ensuring that the installation and any modifications to your pipes are carried out in accordance with the Plumbing Code of Australia, you will assist in minimising sewer blockages and repair work.

A Yard Gully generally has a loose-grated metal or plastic removable lid to allow sewage to overflow if a blockage has occurred.  This should prevent sewage from overflowing inside your house. 

The National Plumbing Code states the gully opening should be at least 150mm below the lowest point of your internal household drainage plumbing fixtures.

Keep your gully clear of all objects and debris both on top and around so that it is easy to locate and remove the cap. You should not flue or fix the removable lid on the concrete surround.

The gully should be 75mm above ground level except if located on a pathway. If on a pathway, the surrounding surface level should fall away from the fully to prevent ingress of water.

Boundary shafts are located close to the property boundary and sewer main and, in the event of a blockage, should be located and inspected by the owner of the property. If the boundary shaft if visibly blocked, please contact Council. If the boundary shaft is not blocked, you will be required to contact a plumber.

  Examples of Boundary Shafts

Signs of a sewer blockage might include:

• Toilets, basins, baths or tubs are slow to empty
• Toilets overflow or fill higher than usual
• Gully-traps in the yard overflow when the toilet is flushed or when basins or baths are released
• Sewer access pits overflow
• Gurgling noises occur in property sewer pipes.
  
  

Causes of a sewer blockage include:

• 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, or putting down the drain
• Tree roots infiltrating the property pipes
• Pipes that have been crushed or flattened 
• Pipes that have been laid poorly
• Illegal connection of stormwater pipes (for example roofing downpipes) causing the sewerage system to overflow when it rains.