Severn Trent Water - S101a Application for a Public Sewer

[Dave and Helen]

Hi, 

 

This is really a follow on from a previous topic, where I was looking for assistance with a drainage solution for our new build project in Derbyshire. We're currently investigating various options for a solution to our waste water requirements. Our plot has no main sewage and as such we've been looking at suitable water treatment plants, but the issue is with the discharge. Whilst we were investigating discharge into a local watercourse, a colleague suggested completing a Severn Trent Sewage Application form, S101a. s101a_guidance_notes.pdf

 

The closes main sewage to us is on the main road, approximately 300m uphill from our plot, along an adopted road. There are half a dozen other properties along out road, so if it were installed, there would be a few other households who would benefit. The time scales on this look pretty long, they mention taking 12 months to respond and then if they do agree to install one, it would be completed within 5 years.  

 

I'd be curious to know if anyone else has applied for this and what experience they had. 

 

Kind regards

 

David

[Mr Punter]

Where we are, Southern Water like to pump raw sewage into the sea or discharge into rivers.  The quite favour storing it in tanks and letting it go septic first.  Criminal.

[MikeSharp01]

13 hours ago, Mr Punter said:

Where we are, Southern Water like to pump raw sewage into the sea or discharge into rivers.  The quite favour storing it in tanks and letting it go septic first.  Criminal.

Absolutely - loads of it came up on the beach here, Whitstable, the case has been found against them and sentencing is due shortly.

 

Sadly not an answer to the question but does give you a hint on how water companies think and that appears to mean they pay little attention to the little people. I suspect you will need to get your treatment plant in and if you are then up for the fight fill out the form. Uphill implies a pumping station so need to factor that in! 

[Conor]

It's a significant job, I think you'd be talking about £50k in total by the time it's all done.

[Dave and Helen]

Thanks for the comments, hopefully someone will be made to pay for the mess they're causing in Kent, unbelievable in this day and age. 

 

As regards the application to Severn Trent, you're right this is a long term option and we'll need to sort out a water treatment plant in the meantime as I'm not prepared to wait for the water board. That said, according to the guide notes (s101a_guidance_notes.pdf) if the application is successful Severn Trent foots the entire bill. In the long term that can only be a good thing and will, I guess add some value to the property once installed. I still feel most people don't like the idea of owning an maintaining a water treatment plant or septic tanks and prefer the convenience of mains sewage.  

 

I'll bear this in mind and see how much interest I can drum up down our lane. As mentioned, there are about six other properties this could benefit and if they know there's likely to be no cost and the application is free, I can't see them not wanting to add some weight to this. 

 

Thanks again... David

[joe90]

24 minutes ago, Dave and Helen said:

I still feel most people don't like the idea of owning an maintaining a water treatment plant or septic tanks and prefer the convenience of mains sewage.  

 

25 minutes ago, Dave and Helen said:

there are about six other properties this could benefit

What do the six other current properties do with their poo etc?, they will have either cess pits or septic tanks surely? I have a treatment plant and much prefer it to paying fir a main sewer. We discharge to an existing ditch that’s dry for some of the year !

[Dave and Helen]

Joe90, thanks for your feedback on this. I guess a modern water treatment plant that's in good working order is as good if not better than mains sewage, the issue we have to sort out is the discharge. I'm glad you mentioned that your ditch is dry for some of the year. Were there any issues with the Environment Agency over this and did you have to pay for a permit? 

From some of the documentation I've read, it mentioned a 'water course' is any natural water flow, even if it's dry for part of the year, yet other documents mentioned it has to be flowing all year... very confusing. 

 

The Environment Agency publish a set of General Binding Rules General binding rules: small sewage discharge to a surface water - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) that apply to small domestic sewage systems. If we can comply with all the rules, then we don't need a permit, but rule 19 states the ditch needing to have a flow and not seasonally dry. Looking at out ditch, it's not bone dry, but there's not a lot flowing down it and it's summer. I might be able to get away with this as I doubt they'll come and check. 

 

Dave C

 

[joe90]

@Dave and Helen, I installed a vortex treatment plant which specifies is able to discharge to a ditch that’s dry part of the year. 
https://www.wte-ltd.co.uk/asp-sewage_treatment_plants.html

didn’t need to purchase a permit as below the threshold for requiring one, envoironment were very helpful.

 

note, when discharging to a ditch partially running it must be done by a “rumble drain”, this has to be 10m long, a perforated pipe buried in drainage stone (a bit like a leach field fir a septic tank) but with the end into the ditch, also make sure you put a flap or grill on the end of the pipe, I forgot and a rat got into the unit and drowned but blocked a pipe causing it to not work properly till I dragged it out ?. Any other questions please ask ?