Drainage in Scotland

[AndrewR]

I own an old cottage in Scotland that has not been lived in for a number of years. It is not currently registered as a dwelling so I'm going through a change of use application and I'm discussing plans with my architect prior to submission.
The cottage is rural and near the sea, though it is on a street with other, currently habited, properties. Underneath the road is a ca. 6" drain that takes septic tank effluent from other houses and transfers it out to land near the cliff edge. It is therefore a private treatment system and not a local authority - to sewage treatment plant - system. An existing drain from my house feeds into this road pipe.
Though pre-existing and used by all other houses on the street, my architect is sceptical about whether this pipe can be used and is suggesting that (by SEPA rules)  I may need to install a soakaway to take septic tank effluent.
Can someone please give me a definitive answer as to whether he is right, or whether I can argue that it is a pre-existing feature?

[nod]

Rules have recently changed 

While your Architect perhaps isn’t an expert on drains 

He should be up to date with current regs 

Your other option is to contact your local authority 

[ProDave]

Assuming there is a septic tank on the property that discharges to this shared drain to a shared soakaway I see no reason why you cannot put it back into use.

 

Where the rules have changed recently is a septic tank is no longer allowed to discharge into a watercourse. Anyone discharging into a watercourse must upgrade to a treatment plant. they should have done that by 1st January this year but I know at least 2 near here who have not.

 

Perhaps you need to find where this communal pipe actually goes to?  If it's to a drainage field on the cliff then you are okay. If it is discharging into the sea then all of you should have updated to a treatment plant.  Perhaps the best way to cover yourself is to upgrade yours to a treatment plant.

[the_r_sole]

what the change of use for? Is it a ruin?!

SEPA are now looking for everything to be registered with them, if you've got a communal system then I'd imagine that has the documentation? ask a neighbour

[jamieled]

@AndrewR, the guidance is different for inland watercourses and coastal areas. SEPA seem to be content that you can discharge directly from a septic tank into a coastal water, provided there are no particular sensitivities. This is due to the dilution you will get.  They do state a partial soakaway is optional, but not mandatory. I'm aware of plenty west coast dwellings (including some new ones) that work on that basis.

 

If the other dwellings using the system have been there a while, they may not have registered with SEPA. You won't be able to escape that, so if it were me I'd ask them now how you go about dealing with an unregistered communal system. There is a sepa registry email address on their website.

 

See here for a bit more info:

https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/152675/wat_rm_03.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjJpKbPm_fqAhVGSRUIHYUvAl4QFjABegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw2KBUuxUIv_ldNUHcAJoONZ

 

[AndrewR]

Thanks for all the advice, and particularly the link to the document Jamie.

The change of use is because it is not currently registered as a dwelling. It is disused, but not ruinous.

The communal waste pipe under the road goes to coastal waters. Whether it actually goes out directly or whether there is some sort of drainage field on the cliff edge, I don't know. I suppose I'll have to investigate and ask around.

Though other houses outlet to this pipe from a septic tank, I don't know if my property has a septic tank. This is a job already on my list.

I'm immediately cautious about notifying SEPA of the private system in case it impacts on my new neighbours.

Andrew

[scottishjohn]

On 31/07/2020 at 10:34, ProDave said:

Assuming there is a septic tank on the property that discharges to this shared drain to a shared soakaway I see no reason why you cannot put it back into use.

 

Where the rules have changed recently is a septic tank is no longer allowed to discharge into a watercourse. Anyone discharging into a watercourse must upgrade to a treatment plant. they should have done that by 1st January this year but I know at least 2 near here who have not.

 

Perhaps you need to find where this communal pipe actually goes to?  If it's to a drainage field on the cliff then you are okay. If it is discharging into the sea then all of you should have updated to a treatment plant.  Perhaps the best way to cover yourself is to upgrade yours to a treatment plant.

I,m with dave on this 

just use it if you can 

If you contact sepa and force all your neighbours into spending money to upgrade things  by you highlighting whats going on you will not be popular 

I don,t think you will get away with not registering your septic tank  though

I am guessing when you talk to planning they will talk to sepa

 not  sure how you find out info without ringing bells at sepa for all using that drain,other than having your own treatment system +soak away 

 

 

[Ferdinand]

On 31/07/2020 at 10:58, jamieled said:

@AndrewR, the guidance is different for inland watercourses and coastal areas. SEPA seem to be content that you can discharge directly from a septic tank into a coastal water, provided there are no particular sensitivities. 

 

 

That's interesting.

 

I can see a green fluff happening about that eventually.

[scottishjohn]

5 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

@AndrewR, the guidance is different for inland watercourses and coastal areas. SEPA seem to be content that you can discharge directly from a septic tank into a coastal water, provided there are no particular sensitivities. 

they would not allow a man  here to do that ==cos the water course from the farm above him--about 3/4mile up stream  was already above polluting the burn  to above allowable  threshold - and  they would not do anything about the farm 

he had to have a treatment system  to able to discharge to the burn which runs about 100yards into the sea .

best of it is that his water supply comes from same burn --but from above the farm 

go figure 

Edited August 3, 2020 by scottishjohn

[ProDave]

I thought you had to register a septic tank with SEPA upon sale of a property now if it was not already registered? So surely that was done when you bought the property?

 

I had great trouble getting permission from SEPA for a new discharge to a burn, and it was only when two other proposals had been rejected that they allowed it.  I had to measure the flow rate of the burn to work out the dilution rate first.  I think they were already worried at the amount of systems connected to the burn (including my immediate neighbour who is still using a plain septic tank discharging to the burn, illegal for 6 months now and nobody seems intent on making him upgrade)

[Ferdinand]

14 minutes ago, scottishjohn said:

they would not allow a man  here to do that ==cos the water course from the farm above him--about 3/4mile up stream  was already above polluting the burn  to above allowable  threshold - and  they would not do anything about the farm 

he had to have a treatment system  to able to discharge to the burn which runs about 100yards into the sea .

best of it is that his water supply comes from same burn --but from above the farm 

go figure 

 

Just a note that that was me quoting  @jamieled, not me saying. 

[the_r_sole]

4 hours ago, AndrewR said:

 

The change of use is because it is not currently registered as a dwelling. It is disused, but not ruinous.

 

as in, it's not registered for council tax? I've worked on plenty of old disused buildings and not required a change of use (although sometimes planning has been required for alterations), it's either a dwelling historically or it's not been used as a dwelling, there isn't a register aside from council tax, a change of use needs to have a change of use surely? Just living in a house again isn't really any change