What does 10-10-10 refer to with on-site sewage treatment?

Onsite sewage treatment plants must adhere to stringent effluent quality guidelines established by the Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater (QPW) Code. This code outlines exacting standards for both secondary and advanced secondary treatment, which are similar to those presented in AS/NZS 1547:2000. These regulations ensure that treated effluent meets health requirements before it's released into water systems or land environments.

Effluent Quality

Typical primary or filtered effluent concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) are:

Greywater systems that are tested and accredited to a 10/10/10 standard offer enhanced onsite wastewater management. This means that samples are analysed for compliance with the QPW code as follows:

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) - less than 10 mg/L
• Total Suspended Solids (TSS) - less than 10 mg/L
• E-coli cfu - less than 10 E-coli / 100ml

Upgrading your septic tank or treatment chamber with an effluent filter can provide vast improvements in the quality of wastewater. By adding a filtration system, you will be able to reduce BOD and TSS by 15-30%, significantly increasing water safety standards and reducing potential health hazards.

Effluent Quality - Advanced Secondary

The criteria for advanced secondary quality effluent compliance are as follows:

• 90% of samples taken over the test period have a BOD5 of up to 20g/m3
• 90% of samples taken have total suspended solids less than 20g/m3
• Where disinfection is provided, 90% of samples taken have a thermotolerant coliform count not exceeding 10 organisms per 100ml and no single sample over 200 organisms per 100ml
• If the disinfection is chlorination, total chlorine concentration is between 0.5g/m3 and 2.0g/m3 in 4 out of 5 samples
• If the disinfection is nitrogen and/or phosphorus, the effluent compliance criteria must also produce the following results:
• 90% of samples have a total nitrogen concentration of up to 10mg/L
• 90% of samples have a total phosphorus concentration of up to 5mg/L

If you would like to read more about onsite sewage treatment and the approvals required here - What approvals are needed for on-site sewage facilities in QLD?

Your local on-site sewage treatment professionals

If you have any questions about the content in this article, or would like to discuss sewage treatment compliance, call Express Wastewater Solutions on 1300 372 621 or complete our online enquiry form.

References:
Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code
Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code Guidelines
Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science
AS 1546.3:2017 - Onsite domestic wastewater treatment units

The information contained on this web page is created as general information and should be used as a guide only. Express Wastewater Solutions will not take any responsibility for any consequences that may arise from reliance on this web page and its information.