Is your system compliant?
On the 1st Jan 2020, new rule governing the discharge of septic tanks came into force. The new regulations mean that discharges to surface water from both old and new septic tanks will no longer be permitted by the EA.
If you have a septic tank that discharges directly to surface water you will need to replace or upgrade your treatment system by 1 January 2020. It is not uncommon for a septic tank or soakaway to be located on neighbouring land. In these instances, the responsibility to upgrade still lies with the owner of the septic tank whether the soakaway is on their land or not.
If your system requires replacing or upgrading due to its discharge location, you have three possible options:
Invest in a small sewage treatment plant. These can be permitted to discharge to a surface water such as a river or stream. A small sewage treatment plant (also known as a package treatment plant) treats the liquid so it’s clean enough to go into a river or stream.
Discharge from septic tanks and sewage treatment systems can be made to ground via drainage fields.
Discharge to a soakaway borehole can only be made from a sewage treatment system and must be permitted by the EA. Permits must be applied for in the following circumstances:
if you discharge:
- to a well, borehole or other deep structure
- more than 2 cubic meters (2,000 liters) per day
If any part of the building your system serves is within 30 metres of a public sewer, the EA will not allow you to start a new discharge. If there is a good reason why you cannot connect to the sewer (e.g. a river or a hill in the way) then you must apply for a permit from the EA.
H.D. Services Ltd can help. Operating for over 35 years, our bespoke HD-SM plant is designed to meet the needs of the individual clients and comply with strict legislation. We are also approved installers of the Klargester Bioficient range and offer maintenance services to ensure continued compliance with any permits.
Our soakaway boreholes are constructed using the cable-tool percussion method – preferred by the Environment Agency (EA) when drilling the chalk aquifer, and are designed specifically to meet the requirements of the treatment system they are to serve. Our underpinning ethic is that we want to protect the aquifers from which we make our living. We also construct drainage fields to manage the discharge from septic tanks.
Our portfolio includes the National Trust, RSPB, various county and borough councils, Highways Agency as well as hundreds of domestic clients and estates.
For more information on our bespoke systems and services we offer, please either contact us directly by telephone on 01494 792000, by email at [email protected] or visit our website at www.hdservicesltd.co.uk
