The purpose of this policy is to ensure that, to the extent practicable, pollution of the environment caused by wastewater is prevented. This policy provides the minimum environmental requirements for minimisation, management, disposal and where practical, reuse of wastewater on the Defence Estate. The policy applies to all Defence Establishments, including those operated by contractors as Government Furnished Facilities.
The key performance objective of this policy is to ensure that the pollution potential of wastewater is reduced to as low as reasonably practicable. The Defence National
Environmental Standard (DNES) for wastewater mandates Defence’s requirements for pollution prevention from wastewater, including appropriate water quality trigger values.
Where full compliance with this policy cannot be assured, alternative methods must be proposed and endorsed by the Technical Authority, the Assistant Secretary Engineering and
Environment.
Wastewater consists of the following:

Domestic sewage from toilets, sinks, showers and other bathroom amenities

Trade waste from workshops, wash bays, process waste and manufacturing
Sewage commonly includes biological contaminants, toilet paper, napkins, hair, skin, soap, cleansers, urine, faeces and other biological material such as food waste. This wastewater is typically managed through the sewerage system which includes treatment works, pumping stations, overflow structures and reticulation systems.
Combined wastewater streams may also include some trade wastes approved for release into the sewerage system. Approved pre-treated trade wastes can be discharged into the sewer for further treatment. However, some trade waste including medical and industrial waste, is not suitable for disposal into the sewer and need to be managed separately.
Legislation - Defence must comply with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to prevent significant environmental impacts and must act to prevent impacts upon Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES). Where
Defence activities have resulted in pollution of a state regulated environment, Defence must comply with the relevant State or Territory environmental legislation and regulations.
Defence is also bound to implement all National Environmental Protection Measures (NEPM) enacted by the Standing Committee on Water and the Environment (SCEW).
Wastewater Guidelines - Management of safe reuse of wastewater will be based on the
National Water Quality Management Strategy Australian Guidelines suite of documents for
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Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (2006). The Australian and
New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC, 2000) have been adopted for wastewater that discharges to waterways.
Authority - The Assistant Secretary Engineering and Environment (ASEE) is the Technical
Authority for infrastructure engineering and environmental policy in Defence.
Implementation – The Senior Australian Defence Force Officer (SADFO) and Base Support
Manager (BSM) at each Defence Establishment are responsible for the implementation of this policy at the site level. Senior Environmental Managers (SEM) and Regional Environmental
Officers (REO) will facilitate and advise on the implementation of the policy.
The following requirements have been mandated as the minimum requirements to achieve effective wastewater pollution management:
1.
Wastewater management must follow the waste hierarchy of: o Waste minimisation o Recycling o Reuse o Treatment o Discharge to the environment (the last resort).
2.
Elimination or minimisation of pollutant sources must be considered before applying further management measures
3.
Water must be conserved and reused to the extent practicable, cognisant of any safety or human health implications of doing so. This includes implementing water efficiency measures to minimise water use
4.
Wastewater must not be allowed to enter the stormwater system, and vice versa
5.
Process effluents such as laboratory waste, workshop waste, trade waste and vehicle wash bay wastewater must be either treated on-site or disposed of offsite by an appropriately licenced contractor
6.
Where trade waste is being discharged into urban sewer systems appropriate trade waste agreements must be obtained from the relevant local council or State or
Territory Government
7.
Removal of wastewater by an approved contractor is an acceptable alternative to onsite management
8.
Non approved chemical wastes or fuel spills must not be allowed to enter the wastewater system
9.
Wastewater discharge quality must be such that it complies with the ANZECC guidelines and/or relevant State/Territory regulatory requirements.
All spills or incidents shall be reported to the line management and SEM/REO promptly.
Incident reports must be through environmentalincident@defence.gov.au
in addition to local arrangements. Where a large incident is concerned, the SEM is to assess whether the incident is likely to affect offsite environments, and whether the incident should be reported to State environment authorities.
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Michael Healy
A/HEAD INFRASTRUCTURE
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