If your septic tank discharges directly to a watercourse you will be required to upgrade your drainage system or replace it with a sewage treatment plant by January 1st 2020.
Previous to the General Binding Rules, wastewater from septic
tanks was typically discharged in the following two ways:
1. Watercourse.
2. Drainage field/Soakaway
Directly to surface water or a watercourse Wastewater is released through a network of pipes in Wastewater flows through a pipe directly into a
surrounding sub-soils, providing an additional form of treatment for the waste from the septic tank. This helps to ensure that the wastewater being dispersed does not cause pollution.
Under the General Binding Rules, septic tanks discharging to surface water is no longer permitted. Discharging to drainage fields is still permitted.
If you are non-compliant below are your options:
1. Upgrade your septic tank to a sewage treatment system.
2. Connect to the main sewer - This may not be possible in remote locations, although pump chambers can be used to direct wastewater to the mains sewer.
3. Install a drainage field (designed in accordance with BS 6297)
This allows the septic tank to discharge wastewater into the ground instead of surface water or a watercourse. In many cases, the installation of a drainage field is not possible due to site constraints such as space and/or the soil not
having sufficient drainage potential (i.e. rock, clay, high water table).