A major part of our water management is our Community Wastewater Management Scheme (CWMS). We collect wastewater via a series of gravity drains which are then pumped to a wastewater treatment plant. After successful treatment, water is then stored in lined storage lagoons to be reused during summer.
Alexandrina Council currently owns and operates six CWMS schemes which are located in Goolwa, Port Elliot, Milang, Mount Compass and Strathalbyn.
We are proud to announce that Alexandrina Council does not discharge any domestic wastewater into waterways. 100% of domestic wastewater collected by Council’s CWMS is treated and recycled. This equates to around 500ML of wastewater being reused each year.
Recycled wastewater is used to irrigate reserves, golf courses, racecourses and local turf farms to help with the reduction of mains water and River Murray water usage.
Local Government currently operates 175 Community Wastewater Management Systems (CWMS) in 50 councils throughout the state. Most CWMS in SA are owned and operated by the Local Authority (Councils) in which they are situated.
LGA South Australia - Overview of CWMS
Please follow the link to the LGA CWMS information pages including resources, codes, legislations.
A CWMS is a system designed to collect, treat, re-use and/or dispose of primary treated effluent from septic tanks on individual properties.
The collection system is a network of pipes and pumping stations which transport the effluent from the septic tanks to the treatment site. In some cases (generally rare) no pumping stations are required where the collection system operates by gravity. An example of a typical town layout is shown below.
The treatment system can be by either:
- facultative (oxidation) lagoons where effluent is stored and treated by aerobic action. Mechanical aeration is sometimes installed to speed up the process and/or reduce the size of the lagoon system; or
- mechanical treatment plants where aerobic action is undertaken in a series of aerated tanks.
The disposal system can be by either:
- evaporation ponds; or
- irrigation systems or other re-use (eg, wetlands).
Generally many of the older systems are lagoon systems (facultative lagoon and evaporation pond) whilst the newer systems tend to comprise mechanical treatment plants, a storage pond and an irrigation system onto parklands, golf courses or crops.