Planning and Designing a New Sewage Treatment Plant System

Dynamic Tank Solutions offers comprehensive services for planning and designing sewage treatment plant systems. Here is an overview of our services:

Understanding Sewage Treatment Plant Legislation

Legislative Compliance

• All sewage treatment plants must be EN12566-3 tested and approved for sale and installation to be deemed legal in the UK.
• The discharge from the tank must be at least 10 meters away from any watercourses or buildings.
• If the plant needs electricity to operate, it must be able to function without power for up to 6 hours or have an uninterruptible power supply fitted to it.

General Binding Rules and Permits

• Review the General Binding Rules to determine whether a permit from the Environment Agency is required.
• Different regulations apply in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Consult the respective national environment authorities for further details.
• Conditions for discharging into a local watercourse versus a drainage field/soakaway must be met, including specific distancing requirements from boundaries, buildings, and water supplies.

Conducting a Site Survey

Initial Evaluation

• Determine if your property is suitable for a private sewage system by contacting your local water authority to check for the availability of a public sewer.
• Conduct necessary legal checks, including building regulations approval and planning permission.

Site Assessments

• Perform a Groundwater Source Protection Zone Search.
• Conduct a Trial Site Assessment Hole Test and Percolation Tests if a drainage field is needed. (A Percolation test is simply observing how quickly a known volume of water dissipates into the subsoil of a hole of known surface area. This test is used to determine the water absorption rate of your ground type in preparation for the building of a wastewater drainage field or percolation area. The results of a percolation test, comprising three test hole results, are required to properly design a waste water treatment system and mandatory for submission of a discharge consent application.)
• Ensure compliance with General Binding Rules regarding the distance of the tank from habitable dwellings and other features.

Designing a Sewage Treatment Plant System

System Specifications

• Sizing the Tank: Match the tank size to the potential population of the property, considering the number of bedrooms and possible visitors.
• Choosing the Right Tank: Factors include the type of wastewater to be treated, the effluent output quality needed, proximity to buildings, discharge location, ground porosity, and site access for maintenance.
• Gravity-Fed vs. Pumped Systems: Most systems are gravity-fed. A pump may be required if the tank location lacks natural gravity fall. Professional advice is recommended for determining pump necessity.

Drainage Field/Soakaway Design

• Sizing the Drainage Field: Depends on property size, number of occupants, and percolation test results. Drainage fields remove contaminants from effluent using trenches with perforated pipes and gravel beneath landscaped areas.

Specific Products

Dynamic Tank Solutions offers a range of Harlequin treatment plants for 6PE up to 500PE for domestic and commercial applications.

For professional advice and detailed guidance on planning and designing your sewage treatment plant system, contact Dynamic Tank Solutions. We are here to ensure your project meets all regulatory requirements and operates efficiently.