Greywater is recycled water from inside the house that can be used in the garden instead of flowing through to the town sewerage system.

It can be from the shower, bath or washing machine (but definitely not the toilet and preferably not the kitchen sink). A well-managed greywater system can save many thousands of litres of household water use.

Council administers on-site waste water treatment systems in accordance with the requirements of state legislation (the Public Health Act and Regulation).

Greywater reuse may involve

• Diversion – where the greywater is diverted from a laundry or bathroom directly to an irrigation system
• Treatment – where the greywater receives some sort of treatment to improve its quality
• Storage – where the greywater is contained in some way prior to treatment or reuse.

Greywater diversion on a residential property can be done without Council approval only if it satisfies a number of conditions. The most significant of these are:

• the diversion device must be an approved type under the Watermark scheme and
• the greywater is diverted directly to an on-site sub surface irrigation system.

Installing a diversion unit that can switch the greywater flow between the irrigation area and the sewer allows the water to be used on the garden when it is needed, or for it to be safely disposed at other times.

Greywater treatment and storage systems can pose more public health risk. These systems require a Council application and approval process and on-going inspections.

Please call Council on 4974 2000 and ask to speak with an Environmental Protection Officer if you would like to discuss any of the above in more detail.

Useful links

Greywater information from the New South Wales Office of Water 

Greywater information from the New South Wales Water for Life