Septic tank and treatment system plumbing in Traralgon

If your property around Traralgon is not on the town sewer, a licensed plumber or drainer looks after the septic tank or treatment plant that handles your wastewater, and most changes to it need a council permit before work starts. In Latrobe City the permit comes from Latrobe City Council; in Rosedale and the rest of Wellington Shire it comes from Wellington Shire Council. Enquiries from this site are passed to an independent plumber or drainer who quotes and does the work, and whoever you engage is responsible for the permit paperwork that goes with it.

Which properties need a septic system?

Latrobe City Council’s septic tank permits page says small areas of the municipality have no reticulated sewerage. On those properties both sewage (toilet waste) and sullage (water from the shower, bath, sinks and laundry) must be treated and kept within the boundary using an onsite system. Rural blocks around the smaller townships, such as Glengarry and Yinnar, are where most homeowners ask about this, but the only reliable answer for a particular lot is the council’s records or your rates notice.

When a house is on town sewer, a slow toilet or gurgling sink is a drain problem, and that job is covered on the blocked drains page.

What kind of system do I have?

Most homes on onsite wastewater have one of three arrangements. The plumber will want to know which yours is before quoting.

System	How it works	Usual upkeep	Common faults
Septic tank with absorption trenches	The tank settles out solids and the liquid soaks into the ground through trenches	Periodic desludging by a liquid waste contractor; keep the trench area clear	Wet or smelly trench area, slow toilets once the trenches clog
Septic tank with a sand filter or other secondary treatment	Tank effluent is treated further before it reaches the land	Inspection of the filter and any pump	Pump or float switch failure, ponding on the filter
Aerated wastewater treatment system (AWTS)	A powered plant treats wastewater to a level suitable for surface irrigation of a set area	Regular service by an approved service agent	Alarm sounding, blower or pump failure, odour, irrigation area staying wet

If you have moved in and cannot find the tank or the disposal field, Latrobe City can search its records for a septic plan. You pay a fee with the request, and the council refunds it if no plan is held. In Wellington Shire, a plan of the final installation is issued with the approval to use, and the shire can supply more copies.

What are the signs a septic system is failing?

Wellington Shire’s septic systems page lists the warning signs, and they hold for any valley property:

• the absorption field is wet, with wastewater pooling on the surface
• wastewater running off the disposal area
• a smell of effluent near the tank or the field
• toilets and drains emptying slowly
• a grease trap that is full or blocked

Add to that an alarm on a treatment plant, and lush, green growth over the trenches in a dry spell. Wellington Shire tells owners to get a licensed plumber to inspect a failing system as soon as possible and not to wait for a council response. Under the Environment Protection Regulations 2021, landowners and occupiers in Wellington must also tell the shire when their system shows signs of failure, and explain what is being done to fix it.

Is a septic pump-out the same job as a plumber’s service?

No. Pumping out the sludge is done by a liquid waste contractor with a tanker. Wellington Shire refers owners with an odour problem during a power cut to an accredited liquid waste contractor for a pump-out, and says tanks must be desludged at least every three to five years depending on use and system type. A plumber’s job is different: diagnosing why the system is failing, repairing or replacing pipes, pumps, floats and distribution lines, altering the system for a renovation, and designing and installing a new one. Many owners book both on the same week so the plumber can inspect the empty tank.

What does a careful plumber check on a septic job?

A plumber who knows onsite systems will look at more than the tank lid. Expect them to:

• find the permit, plan and any approval to use for the existing system before changing it
• check inlet and outlet pipes, baffles and the tank for cracks or root entry
• test pumps, float switches and alarms on systems that have them
• walk the disposal area for wet patches, run-off and anything built or parked on it
• ask how many people live in the house and whether a bathroom or bedroom has been added since the system went in
• tell you if the job needs a council permit, and refuse to start altering the system until one is issued

Wellington Shire says nothing such as buildings, driveways, slabs, pools or large trees should sit on the effluent disposal area or over the tank, and that stock should be kept off it. A plumber may recommend moving a garden bed or fence for that reason.

How do permits work in Latrobe City and Wellington Shire?

Both councils issue permits under Victoria’s environment protection law, but their paperwork differs.

Latrobe City (Traralgon, Morwell, Churchill, Tyers, Glengarry, Yinnar and Moe; near the Baw Baw boundary, confirm your council first). Under the Environment Protection Act 2017, a Latrobe property owner must hold a council permit before installing, altering or using a septic system, or before connecting extra wastewater fixtures to it. Council’s application to install or alter a septic system asks the licensed plumber or drainer to supply the technical information and system design, and a copy of the plumber’s compliance certificate must reach council before a Permit to Use is issued. Some sites also need a land capability assessment, and council points owners to soil testers and geotechnical engineers for that report. The council office is at 141 Commercial Road, Morwell.

Wellington Shire (Rosedale and surrounds). Permits are issued under the Environment Protection Regulations 2021, and the system installed must be EPA approved. A Permit to Install/Alter has to be issued before any works start. An Environmental Health Officer inspects the site with the owner and plumber, and inspects again after installation but before the tank and disposal area are backfilled. The installation must be finished within two years of the permit being issued, and the plumber’s compliance certificate is needed before approval to use is given.

In both councils, the Environment Protection Act 2017 places a general environmental duty on anyone who owns or uses an onsite system. That duty covers how the system is installed, run and maintained, and how faults are dealt with.

Which plumbing rules apply to the drain work?

Drainage from the house fixtures to an onsite system is covered by AS/NZS 3500.2, the sanitary plumbing and drainage part of the national standard, as the BPC explains on its AS/NZS 3500 standards page. Any construction, installation or alteration of a below-ground sanitary drain needs a compliance certificate regardless of cost, which is one reason councils ask for that certificate before approving a system for use.

How is a new or altered system put in?

For a new system or a major alteration on a Latrobe Valley block, the order is usually:

1. Land capability assessment, if council requires one, to find what the soil and slope can take.
2. System choice and design by the plumber or drainer, using an EPA approved product.
3. Permit application to council, with plans.
4. Council inspection of the site, then the permit is issued.
5. Installation of the tank or plant, the drains and the disposal field.
6. Inspection before backfill where council requires it.
7. Compliance certificate lodged and given to council, then the permit to use is issued.

How much does septic work cost?

The Quote Yard’s Gippsland tables put a service of a septic or treatment system at $290 to $660 per visit, with access and system type the main variables. Repairs beyond the service are generally charged as labour, which the same source puts at $90 to $148 per hour in normal hours, plus parts such as pumps or floats. A new system is priced on its design, the land capability assessment and the council permit, so it needs a site visit. The plumbing cost guide for Traralgon shows the other price bands.

If the property relies on power for a pump or treatment plant, Wellington Shire warns that a septic tank holds only about a day’s waste once its outlet stops working, so cut water use back to essentials during an outage. Mention any recent outage or alarm when you book a septic inspection.

Next step

In your enquiry, say which system you have (tank and trenches, sand filter or a treatment plant), roughly how old it is, and whether you hold the council permit or plan. Describe the symptoms: smell, wet ground, slow toilets or an alarm, and how long they have been happening. Add your council area and a photo of the tank lids and disposal area, then send your septic enquiry to reach a plumber or drainer who handles onsite systems.

Send a job enquiry