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Legislation
The Environment Protection Authority’s Code of Practice for vessel and facility management (marine and inland waters) is linked to the Environment Protection (Water Quality) Policy 2003 – forming part of the Environment Protection Act 1993.
Non compliance with an Environment Protection Policy is an offence under the Act.
Legislation prohibiting the discharge of greywater from houseboats and other vessels travelling on inland waters in South Australia is being progressively introduced from 1st January, 2009.
For the management of greywater, vessel operators are required to observe the following compliance dates:
- 1st January, 2009 for all newly constructed vessels
- 1st January, 2010 for existing commercial vessels in survey and those that are permanently occupied.
- 1st January 2011 for all other vessels.
Options for greywater management include
- Owners of vessels with a single galley, hand basin and shower, where it is structurally impractical to install a containment or treatment system (eg cruisers), are required to:
- Install a grease trap for galley waste.
- Install in-line strainers for all other grey water production facilities.
- Owners of vessels with a single galley, hand basin and shower, where it is structurally practical to install a containment or treatment systems (eg small houseboats/cruisers), are required to:
- Contain or treat galley waste.
- Install in-line strainers for all other greywater production facilities.
- Owners of permanently occupied and commercial vessels, or vessels with multiple bathrooms, ensuites or showers, and/or dishwashers, washing machines, spas are required to:
- Contain or treat all greywater produced onboard the vessel.
All vessel owners should also adopt environmentally friendly practices (eg using low flow devices, biodegradable detergents and scraping food waste into a bin).
For more information and to obtain copies of the South Australian Environment Protection Authority Code of Practice for vessel and facility management (marine and inland waters), please visit www.epa.sa.gov.au/vfm
Australian Standard for Greywater Treatment Systems for vessels operated on inland waters (AS 4995)
This Australian Standard—the first of its kind— sets out specifications for the design, construction, installation and operation of onboard greywater treatment systems to minimise the environmental and public health risks caused by untreated greywater discharge.
It was developed to support new greywater management legislation introduced by the South Australian government in 2008 to help reduce potential risks posed by the discharge of greywater into the Murray River and South Australian waterways.
BIASA was involved in the development of this Australian Standard which will provide an industry accreditation system to ensure the customer is purchasing a system that works. BIASA will only support greywater treatment systems which meet the requirements of the standard.
A copy of the Australian Standard can be found here (AS 4995–2009)
Greywater Treatment Systems
There are currently many manufacturers working on the development of greywater treatment systems for river craft, and BIASA expects that a range of products will become available to boat owners in time. BIASA will continue to support system manufacturers, through the providing advice and appropriate contacts to assist in their commercialisation.
Currently, as of August 2010, greywater system manufacturers include:
NEWTREAT PTY LTD - www.newtreat.com.au
AEROFLOAT (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD - www.aerofloat.com.au
Both Newtreat and Aerofloat have been recognised to meet EPA requirements and Aerofloat are in the final stages of product testing.
As more systems become available, we will post them on this site.
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