Polluted Soakwell?
When a soakwell is contaminated, the spoil must be treated as a controlled waste. The process involves analysing the material and disposing of it based on it's type, according to regulations. Disposal is usually charged by the litre.
While we suck out and dispose of the material, you are responsible for determining the extent of your obligation as a property owner or tenant and the impact on the environment.
How is it done?
Typically the vehicle will have two operators and use an extendable hose. One operator will be at the vehicle controlling the machine and operator controlling the hose.
The hose is high powered and efficient compared to the non-controlled waste vehicle, as well as versatile when access is restricted at up to 120 metres long.
The equipment is charged at an hourly rate including labour (two men) and the spoil disposal is charged by the litre. There is also a fee for the laboratory analysis of the material. It is important to note that any material that enters the tank will be treated as a controlled waste including water.
Soakwell maintenence considerations
- Are there any smells or slicks to indicate the soakwell is contaminated?
- Is the grate in the soakwell cover accessible, can it be opened or is it rusted?
- How will traffic be affected by the cleaning. Each soakwell can take an hour on average.
- How compact is the material, is the soakwell completely full or only a third?
- If the water is not draining away, could it be due to the water table in the area? Is the ground type suitable?
- Is the soakwell system adequete or is it being saturated? We can calculate the recommend volume and install additional soakwells as required.
PLEASE NOTE: Quotes are an estimation based on the minimum hire, the number of soakwells to be cleaned, the type and volume of spoil to be removed and access requirements.
What is a contaminated Soakwell?
If there is any smell, oil, fat, paint or any kind of unnatural material in the soakwell it is contaminated. This is because the purpose of a soakwell is to return the water to its source, where it would have landed had it been bushland instead of being developed. A contaminated soakwell can leach pollution into the water table.
Can you clean a contaminated Soakwell?
Maybe. Certain types of soakwell contamination such as oil and concrete slurry can penetrate deep below the soakwell, permanently preventing it from leeching water. In cases where a soakwell cannot be recovered, an additional complementary soakwell can be added.
Signs of contamination include
- Oily Inside / Oilslick - eg. engine oil, fryer oil, industrial waste etc.
- Smelly - eg. fats, foodwaste, engine oil, chemicals etc.
- Unnatural Colour - eg. concrete slurry, paint, plastic fines etc.
If you have a soakwell issue we can either fix it or provide a solution. Please call or use our contact form to get started.
