Drainage and Sewers Info
FOUL Sewer Transfer October 2011
This means that your local water and sewerage company will be responsible for the sewer and will have to maintain any pipes and connections that go wrong.
How will this affect Home / property owners?
The changes agreed by the government in England and the Welsh Assembly Government are intended to transfer private sewer and lateral ownership overnight on 1 October 2011
After transfer, for most households, any FOUL problems with the laterals or sewers will be taken care of by the local water and sewerage company NOT STORM/RAIN WATER
The FOUL pipework and connecting drains from the property to the sewer or lateral within the boundary will remain the responsibility of the property owner unless other properties drain through it.
After the transfer, if there is a problem with a newly transferred FOUL. NOT STORM/RAIN WATER sewer or lateral pipe, customers will able to contact their water and sewerage company through the usual channels - via the call centre or helpline number. The company will then be responsible for investigating and, where responsible, arranging a repair.
The government has decided that the added costs of maintenance of the transferred pipework will be shared by all customers by being spread across all customer water bills.
Rural Drainage
In many rural areas there are no main sewers. Sewage
has to be disposed of in other ways. There are various systems in use
such as cess pits, septic tanks and mini treatment works.
Septic Tanks - What is a Septic Tank?A septic tank treats
domestic sewage and discharge, either into a watercourse or into the ground.
In septic tanks the solids in the sewage settle to the bottom. Relatively
clear liquid is left which forms a layer of scum on its surface. Bacteria
feed on this liquid and
digest some of the matter in it. The liquid then either passes into another
settlement tank before passing to a watercourse or is discharged underground
through a network of pipes to filter through the soil. Septic tanks are
capable of treating all of a household's domestic sewage. However, the
solids that build up at the bottom of the tank do need to be pumped out
about once a year.
Whose responsibility is it to maintain the
septic tank?
If the tank serves only your house then you alone
are responsible for maintaining and emptying the tank. If several houses
share the tank then the responsibility is normally shared between the
owners.
If you rent your house privately, either you or your landlord may be
responsible. We advise you to check your tenancy 
agreement to see who is responsible.
Contaminated Septic Tanks
The process of digestion in the septic tank is done by bacteria. These bacteria can be killed by certain chemicals. Too much bleach, detergents and other household chemicals may destroy the useful bacteria. As a result the sewage will not be treated fully and may cause pollution problems. Emptying the septic tank regularly will ensure the septic tank keeps working properly.
Watercourse Pollution
If a septic tank is too small for the amount of sewage it takes and discharges
to a stream or river it may be causing pollution.
Cess Pits
A cess pit is simply a sealed storage tank into which sewage is drained until it can be taken away by a tanker. The sewage is not treated in the tank. Older cess pits are usually cylindrical pits lined with either brick or concrete. Modern cess pits are made from fibre glass, steel or polyethylene. Current building regulations require cess pits to be able to hold at least 18,000 litres of sewage. It is estimated that each person produces 115 litres of sewage a day. For a family of four this means that the tank will need emptying about once a month.
Blockages
Blockages can occur in the pipes leading to the tank. This can cause
sewage to back up the pipe and stop the toilet working
properly. The pipe leading from the tank may also become silted and then
block. This will prevent the tank from working properly and cause it to
fill much faster. When such blockages occur the pipes will have to be
rodded or jetted.
Leaking Tanks
Old brick tanks and cracked glass fibre tanks will sometimes let ground
water in. This often happens during the winter when
the water table is higher. The extra water means that the tank will have
to be emptied more frequently. The faulty tank will also allow sewage
to leak outwards. It is an offence to allow a tank to overflow and the
Environmental Protection department at the District Council may legally
require that the tank be repaired or emptied.
Mini Treatment Works
In poorly drained areas (eg. on clay soils) it may only be possible to
discharge to a local watercourse. As there are
strict controls on the quality of effluent that is allowed into watercourses,
a greater standard of treatment is required. Mini treatment works or biodisc
machines act in a similar way to septic tanks. They contain motorised
plastic discs which rotate through the sewage. The action of the discs
encourages much more bacterial breakdown and treats the sewage to a much
higher degree.
Discharge Consents
If your tank discharges its final effluent to a watercourse you will need to obtain a Consent for Discharge from the Environment Agency (EA). The EA sets standards for quality of effluent that can be allowed to enter rivers and streams. The quality of watercourses is monitored by the EA and they may take legal action against anyone who causes pollution.
Redwood ES Ltd.
Where You can always expect high standards of professional service, discretion and attention to detail....