Streetfield

[Streetfield]

Hi, can you tell me who/how you confirm if and where we require a soakaway for rainwater that falls into guttering? We demolished an existing property to build a new self build. Property has a direct discrete connection to the mains sewer. Is it BC or Water Authority or other body?  Realise discharging into the sewer system is not liked. Thanks 

[Dave Jones]

isnt your water usage plan already covered by your planning application ? 

 

You will need to perform a SUDS test to see if the ground is suitable for a soakaway and how big it needs to be.

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, Streetfield said:

Hi, can you tell me who/how you confirm if and where we require a soakaway for rainwater that falls into guttering? ...

 

I am wondering why you can't answer that question for yourself by looking at your Building Regs Application? 

 

Our BCO noticed that the roof on our piggery is quite small: 20 sq m. She suggested putting the outflow from the gutter on one side of the piggery into the foul drain from our wetroom. The resultant saving in expenditure helped cover the cost of the BCO fees.

My direct answer to your question is: IF the outflow from the roof is small, it probably doesn't matter. Ask the BCO when she / he comes on site. 

The rest of our rainwater outflow was planned for and set out in our B Regs application. Maybe your SUDS (rainwater) plan is tucked away in an Appendix to your application?

[kandgmitchell]

You need to look at Building Regulation Requirement H3. This sets out a hierachy of disposal with first choice soakaway or other infiltration, the second is to a watercourse and finally the third is to a sewer. The Building Regs application should describe the method that is approved and the location of a soakaway is not critical just positioned so as not to damage the foundations of the subject building or others (usually 5m away). The downside to connecting to a sewer, especially a foul sewer is that in a heavy rain scenario all that sudden surge of water ends up in the local sewerage works which isn't designed for it and hey presto there's that discharge Fergal Sharky gets annoyed about (quite rightly)

[Streetfield]

Thanks appreciate your reply 

[Blooda]

As others said it should be in Building Regs Application.  Ours said, something like soak away following percolation test.  Following Ground investigation [6m deep cores] the GI engineer said it was not worth doing a perc test as it will fail [We are on Clay - Something about Thrussington and Gunthorpe Members !!].

No Watercourse nearby, so Water Authority let us connect to the foul sewer attenuated to 2 l/s.  We then paid a SE quite a bit to design an expensive solution including crates and vortex valve. But went for combined SuDS and rainwater harvesting tank/system, designed for free, and probably cheaper and easier to install.  This was accepted by the water board,  Once accepted by them BCO wasn't interested, only on the drains leading to the connections.