Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Jonathan Trotman inspects a septic tank on a fire-damaged property in Malua Bay. Photo: Supplied.
Eurobodalla Shire Council is offering free onsite sewerage management (OSSM) system checks for bushfire-affected residents with septic tanks, aerated wastewater treatment systems or composting systems.
Council’s environmental health technical officer, Jonathan Trotman, is visiting homes impacted by the past summer’s bushfires, inspecting systems to determine whether they have been damaged by fire. The main priority is homes that remain in use to ensure OSSM systems are functioning to prevent public health or environmental issues.
“We’re focusing on damaged properties where residents are still able to reside in their home to make sure the OSSM system is working properly,” said Mr Trotman.
“We can also look at places completely destroyed by fire. If people are planning to rebuild a similar size home in the same location, they may be able to hook into their existing system and save themselves quite a bit of money,” he said.
Council’s environmental health team can give advice about the placement of new housing and demountable structures to make best use of existing OSSM systems. The council can also provide advice on how to connect a new system where existing services cannot be used.
Mr Trotman said council’s free onsite visits have been well received so far.
“A lot of people are happy to see us and are so appreciative of what the council is doing. Our visits also give us an opportunity to touch base with people to make sure they’re registered with Service NSW for the clean up, and just to see how they’re doing.”
If you have questions about your OSSM or the inspection service, contact Eurobodalla Shire Council’s environmental health team on 02 4474 1310 or by email. Alternatively, you can contact the council’s recovery helpdesk by calling 02 4474 7434, sending an email or visiting its website.
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