Juguette & Somos Wines Cellar Door – Wastewater Assessment & Design

The project involved the assessment and design verification of a commercial onsite wastewater system for a cellar door development located at 333 Foggo Road, McLaren Flat SA .

Key design parameters included:

• Development type: Cellar Door (commercial use)
• Soil classification: Category 4 (weak clay loam)
• Design loading rate: 6 mm/day
• Effluent disposal area: ~94–100 m² depending on revision
• System type: Pressure dosed septic soakage system

The design also incorporated:

• Site slope of ~6.9%, requiring controlled drainage considerations
• Soil permeability constraints (Ksat ≈ 0.12 m/day) influencing infiltration design

• The cellar door operates with peak weekend usage and lower weekday demand, requiring accurate modelling of fluctuating wastewater loads.
• Minor discrepancies in occupancy/loading inputs (e.g. daily usage assumptions) directly impacted system sizing and compliance, requiring iterative review and correction.
• The system needed to comply with:
• SA Health Onsite Wastewater Systems Code (2013)
• AS/NZS 1547:2012 standards

Incon provided a precise and adaptive engineering solution focused on design validation, optimisation, and compliance assurance:

• Identified and resolved data inconsistencies in occupancy/loading calculations, ensuring:
• Accurate weekly average usage
• Correct downstream design parameters
• Compliance with regulatory design flows
• Verified a pressure dosed septic soakage system with:
• Balanced storage to manage peak inflows
• Controlled discharge rates (~600L/day)
• Adequate effluent distribution area
• Engineered system to:
• Manage peak inflows (e.g. ~1460L/day during high usage periods)
• Maintain storage and discharge equilibrium across the week
• Prevent overloading of disposal fields

• Delivered accurate and compliant wastewater system certification
• Prevented under/over-design risks through detailed validation of inputs
• Enabled smooth council approval process
• Optimised system for both current operation and future expansion
• Provided robust design tailored to challenging soil conditions
• Demonstrated strong coordination with consultant (Waterscope) to resolve design issues efficiently