Ah yes, perhaps the lesser well-known Christmas hit. Though new septic tank compliance regulations were rolled out in January 2020, it is vital to stay in the know about how rules and regulations could affect your septic system. In this blog, we will be recapping what it means to have a compliant septic tank, so read on to find out more!
What were the septic tank regulation changes?
One of the biggest changes made in the 2020 legislation was stopping septic tanks from discharging to a watercourse or any other sort of soakaway system that was not a drainage field.
When waste water flows through a sealed pipe from your septic tank into a local watercourse (think streams and rivers), it is now considered as causing pollution. The quality of the waste water is no longer perceived as clean enough to disperse into these local watercourses and was therefore banned.
Polluted watercourses have a detrimental impact on the environment due to their harmful bacteria and chemicals. As such, animals who use these watercourses as water sources are directly affected by the polluted water. Obviously, we do not want this to happen.
By now of course, no compliant septic tank should be routing wastewater into open watercourses as a result of the 2020 regulations. If your discharge is currently causing pollution, you may be committing an offence and will receive a large fine from the Environment Agency.
How do I know if my current septic tank is compliant?
Though by now you’d hope that everybody has made the appropriate changes to ensure they are adhering to the General Binding Guidance, it’s helpful to be reminded what makes your sewage system a compliant one.
You can find out if your sewage system is compliant through contacting our expert team. We can carry out a site survey and inform you whether your drainage system is compliant against the 2020 standards.
What are the solutions if my septic tank is not compliant?
Our team can offer you their expertise on whether you need to replace your septic tank for a sewage treatment plant or install a soakaway system.
A sewage treatment plant produces water which is clean enough to discharge directly into a watercourse. Using mechanical parts to oxygenate microorganisms, a sewage treatment plant makes this bacteria more proactive in treating waste and therefore inherently improving the quality of the wastewater.
Additionally, another necessary option is the installation of a soakaway system or drain field. These systems take the wastewater from your septic tank and dispel it into the ground without being responsible for pollution. These systems are subsurface wastewater disposal facilities which are used to remove the impurities and contaminants present within your septic tank.
I still have questions about my septic tank!
During the Christmas period, we are currently operating on an emergency callout basis. As you would expect, this is a more limited service in comparison to our regular opening hours. We advise you to check our emergency callout page before phoning up to avoid disappointment.