It All Starts with Compliance: Aubin’s Unique Approach to EPA-Ready Sewage Treatment Systems

When it comes to sewage treatment plants, starting with system design, plumbing, or equipment might seem logical but it's not effective. Without addressing EPA compliance first, you're already behind.

At Aubin Environmental: Compliance Comes First. Everything Else Follows.

We build EPA-ready sewage systems by aligning every HYDROS unit to strict government and council regulations from day one. This approach reduces approval delays, mitigates project risks, and ensures long-term, future-proofed compliance.

Why Compliance Must Come First in Sewage Treatment

Sewage treatment is governed by specific and often location-dependent EPA regulations. These rules don’t just influence how a system operates. They dictate what can and can’t be approved.

Discharge points, treatment volume, and even land use often hinges on what your local or state EPA is prepared to sign off on. That’s why Aubin begins with a regulatory-first approach, mapping every system to these legal frameworks before design begins.

Many projects make the mistake of engaging engineers or plumbers first. While essential, these professionals typically aren’t compliance specialists. The result? Redesigns, approval delays, or even rejection. All avoidable with the right starting point.

How Aubin Reverses the Process and Why It Works

At Aubin, we handle the compliance legwork upfront. Before we engineer anything, we:

• Identify all relevant EPA and council regulations

• Conduct a full regulatory assessment

• Determine required approvals, permits, and reporting

• Liaise directly with the relevant EPA body on our client’s behalf

By the time your HYDROS system is designed, it's already aligned with compliance expectations. You don’t need to become a compliance expert. We do the heavy lifting.

Understanding the Compliance Landscape in Australia

Every Australian state and territory has its own EPA framework, regulatory authority, licensing requirements, and effluent discharge standards. These differences make local expertise critical for obtaining system approval and maintaining long-term compliance.

Factors such as site location, sensitive environments, groundwater protection zones, and population load can all influence approval pathways and system configuration. Aubin Environmental's expertise in navigating this complexity ensures every HYDROS system is not just engineered for treatment efficiency but designed to meet region-specific EPA requirements from the outset.

Here’s some examples of how compliance requirements differ across key states:

1. New South Wales (NSW)

   Regulator: Local Government

   Key Law: Environmental Health Officer assesses against Australian Design codes of practise and Australian Standards

   
   

   Threshold: 2000 L/day is local government, above 100kL per day must be referred to EPA

   
   

   Requirement: Approval as per local government requirements for 2-100kL/day; EPA approval and licensing applies above 100kL/day Environment Protection Licence (EPL) is mandatory for sewage treatment facilities. It defines effluent discharge limits, monitoring regimes, and reporting obligations.

   
   

2. Queensland (QLD)

   Regulator: Department of Environment and Science (DETSI)

   Key Law: Environmental Protection Act 1994

   
   

   Threshold: 21EP (or 4200L/day)

   
   

   Requirement: Operators must obtain an Environmental Authority (EA) for any sewage-related Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERAs, this is typically ERA 63). The EA includes specific emission, monitoring, and compliance conditions.

   
   

3. South Australia (SA)

   Regulator: EPA SA

   Key Law: Environment Protection Act 1993

   
   

   Requirement: A licence is required for all wastewater treatment activities. Operators must follow codes of practice for overflow and reuse, and guidelines for biosolids and septage management.

   
   

4. Victoria (VIC)

   Regulator: EPA VIC

   Key Laws: Environment Protection Act 2017 and Regulations 2021

   
   

   Threshold: Treatment or discharge over 5,000 litres/day

   
   

   Requirement: Development License or Exemption from Development License is required prior to installation, followed by an A03 operating licence is required, including detailed controls on system design, effluent parameters, and discharge approvals. Exemption from A03 Operating License can be gained if an A14 Permit is held

   
   

5. Western Australia (WA)

   Regulator: EPA WA

   Key Law: Environmental Protection Act 1986

   
   

   Requirement: Large or sensitive wastewater projects require Part IV environmental impact assessment. This includes submission of a comprehensive proposal and Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

EPA Requirements by State Summary 

State	Regulator	Licence / Permit Required	Threshold / Scope	Key Legislation
NSW	Local Government	Environmental Health Officer assesses against Australian Design codes of practise and Australian Standards.	>2000 L/day	Approval as per local government requirements for 2-100kL/day.  Or 100kL/day Environment Protection Licence (EPL) is mandatory
QLD	Department of Environment and Science (DETSI)	Environmental Authority (EA) (typically ERA 63).	Any sewage-related Environmentally Relevant Activity	Environmental Protection Act 1994
SA	EPA SA	Wastewater Treatment Licence	All treatment systems	Environment Protection Act 1993
VIC	EPA Victoria	A03 Development & Operating Licence (unless holding an A14 permit)	>5,000 litres/day	Environment Protection Act 2017 & Regulations 2021
WA	EPA WA	Part IV Environmental Impact Assessment	Large-scale or sensitive sites	Environmental Protection Act 1986

HYDROS systems are modular and adaptable, allowing Aubin to tailor each solution to the local regulatory landscape and council requirements.

Built to Meet EPA Standards

The standard HYDROS system achieves better than Class C effluent quality, often reaching Class A effluent quality, including:

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): <20 mg/L

• Suspended Solids: <30 mg/L

• Coliforms: <1,000 cfu/100mL

For sensitive sites, HYDROS can be configured to exceed these targets. The treatment process involves:

1. Aerated digestion of raw sewage and ammonia

2. Anoxic digestion to remove nitrates and balance pH

3. Gravity clarification to separate solids and bacteria

4. UV disinfection for safe, compliant effluent release

   
   

Automated Monitoring: Compliance Isn’t a One-Time Event

Ongoing compliance is just as critical as initial approval. That’s why every HYDROS system includes automated monitoring tools that track performance continuously:

ROBOLAB – Real-Time Monitoring Laboratory

• Online dashboard for ammonia, nitrates, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and bacterial health

• Batch sampling for compliance reporting

• Daily flow and effluent volume profiling

• Remote video feed and plant diagnostics

WATCHDOG – Full System Surveillance

• 24/7 sensor and CCTV coverage

• Instant alerts for equipment faults or effluent issues

• Auto-activation of standby systems

• Remote engineering support from anywhere in the world

This setup provides total system transparency, enabling proactive maintenance and long-term compliance assurance.

Meet EPA standards on your next project with Aubin

You don’t get a second chance at EPA approval. That’s why Aubin puts compliance first, every time. From regulatory assessment and custom system design to automated monitoring and ongoing support, Aubin delivers sewage treatment systems that aren’t just built to work; they’re built to comply.

Speak with the Aubin team today to ensure your sewage treatment system is designed for approval from the ground up.