Septic Tank Regulations in Scotland
All discharges both to ground and water, from septic tanks and sewage
treatment plants, either new or existing, will have to be registered with
the Environment Agency under the new EPP2 regulations (6th April, 2010).
Septic Tank Regulations in Scotland discharges to watercourse will be
refused. Only plants with the EN 12566-3 will be accepted for the
'exemption'.
The Septic Tank Regulations in Scotland European Standard EN 12566-3 Small
waste water treatment systems Sewage Treatment Plant manufacturers now have
to send their units to the Continent to be tested and certified for both
tank and process performance over a period of 38 weeks. They come away with
the EN 12566-3 2005+A1 2009 Certificate, which also allows them to be CE
marked. CE marking for all construction products became mandatory on 1st
July 2013. Without an EN Certificate, no sewage treatment plant or septic
tank conversion unit can be CE marked and is illegal for sale in the UK,
though some rogue manufacturers are still selling them to the unwary public.
It also cannot be accepted by the Environment Agency under the new general
Binding Rules.
Regulation to Upgrade Septic Tanks
So anyone reading this with a septic tank in Scotland needs to be aware
which they need to upgrade. All septic tanks that currently discharge into
watercourses will have to do one of the following to meet the new
regulations :
Be replaced by a sewage treatment plant with full BS EN 12566-3
certification
The discharge running to the watercourse stopped and diverted to a
drainfield, designed and constructed to the current British Standards BS6297
2007
New rules came into force on 1 January 2015. If your system was installed
and discharging before 31 December 2014 you have an €˜existing discharge. If
your system was installed and discharging
http://www.septictank.org.uk/emptying/[link] on or after 1 January 2015 you
have a €˜new discharge.
New Rules January 2020
You must use a small sewage treatment plant in Scotland to treat the sewage
if youre discharging to a surface water such as a river or stream. A small
sewage treatment plant (also known as a package treatment plant) uses
mechanical parts to treat the liquid so its clean enough to go into a river
or stream.
Discharges from septic tanks directly to a surface water are not allowed
under the general binding rules. If you have a septic tank in Scotland that
discharges directly to a surface water you will need to replace or upgrade
your treatment system by 1 January 2020, or when you sell your property if
before this date. If you want to have some pricing and quotation to upgrade
your septic tank then please complete the contact box for further details.
If the Environment Agency finds evidence that your septic tank in Scotland
NG33 4 discharging to a surface water is causing pollution, you will need to
replace or upgrade your system earlier than 1 January 2020. You will usually
have to do this within 1 year, although this will be agreed on a
case-by-case basis.
Relevant British Standards
Your treatment system must meet the relevant British Standard which was in
force at the time of installation. The standards currently in force for new
systems a
BS EN 12566 for small sewage treatment plants
BS 6297:2007 for drainage fields
Your treatment plant met the British Standard in place at the time of
installation if:
it has a CE mark
the manual or other documentation that came with your tank or treatment
plant has a certificate of compliance with a British Standard
its on British Waters list of approved equipment
You can also ask the company that installed your equipment to confirm that
it complies with the British Standard that was in place at the time the
equipment was installed. If there were no British Standards in place when
your treatment system was installed (that is before 1983) you do not need to
do anything else to meet this requirement.
Costs To Upgrade Septic Tanks in Scotland
If your home is not attached to a municipal sewer plant, then you likely
have a septic system to collect your wastewater, then treat and dispose of
it. This type of system requires a septic tank along with a soil absorption
system that are installed underground. It can be tough for homeowners in
Scotland to predict what the cost to install a septic tank will be, they
just know it's something that they have to do. Your first step should be to
contact a reputable professional who can help you determine what will work
best for you home and who can tell you what your particular project will
cost. Once you've talked to a professional, the cost to install a septic
tank http://www.septictank.org.uk/lincolnshire/scotland/ will mostly depend
on the type of tank you choose as well as your professional. If you want to
have some prices and quotes to upgrade your septic tank then please complete
the contact form for further information.
If your property does not drain to the mains you need to be aware of a legal
obligation to upgrade which might affect you. The general binding rules were
published in June 2015 and circulated for various reasons with a whisper
rather than a roar. These rules affect the €œoperator€� of a septic tank or
sewage treatment plant and depending on the terms of your lease, if
applicable, this could be either owner or tenant. If you drain into a septic
tank shared with neighbours then each of you is an operator and you must
jointly comply with the general binding rules.
Any new septic tank in Scotland or sewage treatment unit in Scotland must
have both planning permission and building regulations approval. If its
been installed since 1 January 2015 and you didnt get these permissions
then you should apply retrospectively for them both. If your property is
within 30 metres of a mains sewer the Environment Agency will require you to
connect to the mains instead of installing a sewage treatment unit;
developers building more than one property must multiply the 30m by the
number of dwellings. There are special rules for non-standard systems, for
example reed beds, and in those cases you should contact the Environment
Agency to find out what your obligations are.
Once sewage has been treated in a septic tank or sewage treatment unit,
clean (ish) water will be released and must go somewhere. From 1 January
2020 if your waste discharges directly to a river or stream from a septic
tank, your apparatus must be updated to take in a small sewage treatment
plant or make some other arrangements. But dont sit back and wait €“ if
before that date its actually polluting, the Environment Agency will
require you to upgrade earlier. The new treatment system must meet the
relevant British Standard which was in force at the time of installation,
though curiously to me if your system pre-dates the British Standards (pre
1986) then you can leave well alone.
Regulating Sewage Systems Near Me
The keyword here is €˜directly. Septic tanks regulations in Scotland NG33 4
arent pretty or clever but they do the job they were designed for without
too much fuss. If the cleanish water discharges directly into the
watercourse youre going to have to upgrade, but if it discharges through a
drainage field/infiltration system then you may be OK to leave it be. If
your system doesnt meet the general binding rules then youll need a
ermit €“ formerly called a consent to discharge €“ there will be a fee and a
13 week wait for your decision. There are additional rules where the
discharge is in various types of sensitive areas which will be a relief to
anyone particularly fond of shellfish.
The problem that operators may face with compliance of course is when the
septic tanks or sewage treatment unit lies on land that does not belong to
the operator €“ which is far from unusual. Will the operators deeds contain
the correct easements? The right to use drains and run to a septic tank does
not automatically give the right to lay electricity cables to upgrade the
septic tank to something that runs on electricity. Negotiation of easements
and the legal work involved may be a more expensive exercise than installing
new apparatus. If you are looking at collaborating with neighbours because
your sewage arrangements are shared then a layer of potential for
disagreement is added to the mix.
It seems to me that these rules are a bit like the Government€˜s efforts to
get the motor industry to get the dirty old bangers off the road in favour
of safer and greener models but with a crucial difference; the motor
industry is highly regulated and vehicle ownership is documented,
computerised and known. Enforcement provisions exist but how the Environment
Agency will track down the remote dwellings with decades old septic tanks in
Scotland isnt known.