New Septic Tank Emptying Regulations for 2020

Many people who live in rural areas will be familiar with septic tanks, especially in remoter countryside locales. Septic tanks are an alternative to the urban sewer system, acting as a repository for the collection of wastewater and sewage. These systems will make sure that waste is collected and broken down through the action of bacteria, turning it into effluent for safe release, without causing environmental harm. Many homeowners with septic tanks will be well versed with the fact that new legislation has come in for 2020 requiring that tanks are upgraded. The objective of the government and environmental health is to look to end the practice of discharging effluent from septic tanks into local water sources, while the recent changes to the legislation are aimed at reducing pollution levels. This article looks to elucidate the specificities of this legislation as well as their ramifications and how to ensure you are compliant.

What the new legislation means for septic tank owners

Everyone responsible for a property with a septic tank, or purchasing an estate with a tank was required by law to be compliant with the new legislation by January 2020, but if you are reading this and wondering what to do, the time to act is now! As long as you are willing to upgrade to a system compliant with the regulations you will be able to avoid paying a fine that could be as high as £100,000.

The updated regulations in England stipulate that every septic tank needs to be connected to a soakaway. No septic tanks can discharge into surface water drains or any type of local waterway. If you have a waste tank that currently discharges to a local waterway you need to upgrade your tank according to the new regulations or alternatively replace it with a full sewage treatment plant before the end of 2020 or when you sell the property, whichever comes soonest.

The details of the legislation

If your septic tank currently discharges into a waterway, you have to do one of the following:

1. Replace it with a sewage treatment plant benefiting from full British Standard EN 12566-3 documentation.

2. Redirect it into a drain field designed to comply with the new British Standard BS6297

To ensure that your septic tank system is compliant and environmentally sound you should also ensure that it has an adequate capacity, it has been installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and is emptied and serviced on a regular basis by a specialist company. In addition the sewage release must be under the ‘mean low spring water mark’ should your property be situated in a tidal area.

Additional rules apply to systems installed post-January 2015 if one of the following is true:

If your system’s discharge began before or on 1^st January 2015

If your system discharged to surface water before this date, but you now wish to ‘discharge to ground’, or the other way around

If you ‘discharged to ground’ prior to 1^st January 2015 and are planning to install a new drainage field more than 10m away from your existing field

Should any of the above ring true then you will need to ensure that you adhere to the following measures.

• Full planning permission and building regulations must be attained
• If any part of your property falls within 30m of a public sewer the EA will not grant permission for new discharge from a treatment plant. If there are a number of properties this distance is multiplied accordingly. I.e. 60m for two, 90m for 3, 120m for 4, etc.
• Should you have a valid reason for not being able to access a sewer (a river lies in between for example) or you are within 500m of a protected area you will need to apply for a permit
• You will only be allowed new discharges to ditches or surface water providing the EA is satisfied that there is enough flow all-year-round.

How to become and remain compliant

Firstly, if you are in any way unsure of whether you are compliant or whether you need to implement any changes, you should enlist the help of a specialist company. You will often be able to get some free advice and in some cases a site visit to provide you with a clear course of action, or with the peace of mind that you are already doing the right thing. Becoming compliant could, in the case of an outdated system manifest in different plausible courses of action. You will want to have advice from those in the know, with years of experience as to which will be the best choice for you. In some cases, updating to a full, on-site sewage treatment plant could be the most future proof option.

Your journey as a responsible septic tank or sewage treatment plant owner does not begin and end with compliance with the new regulations, in terms of the initial work. When you are the owner of a property or properties with a septic tank it is vital that you sign up to a service plan with a reputable company. Septic tanks, like most other systems are only as good as their current state and this is in a constant state of flux, dependent on many factors. Regular services will enable potential problems to come to light as soon as possible and be corrected before potentially catastrophic and costly failures. Septic tanks need emptying and desludging periodically and your service provider will be able to gauge just how often your particular system needs to be emptied. They will also be able to provide advice on how to keep your system functioning through best practice.

Finally, should you be thinking about selling a property with a septic tank, even if you have done the necessary to comply with the 2020 regulations, you should definitely have your tank serviced and emptied before you put the property on the market as this will definitely be a question you are asked.