{"id":5364,"date":"2019-04-29T14:37:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T14:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/?p=5364"},"modified":"2022-10-11T13:41:25","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T13:41:25","slug":"septic-tank-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/5364\/septic-tank-regulations\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Holiday Cottage Compliant with the Septic Tank Regulations?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Depositphotos_38496933_s-2019.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Depositphotos_38496933_s-2019.jpg 999w, https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Depositphotos_38496933_s-2019-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Depositphotos_38496933_s-2019-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Little known legislation is coming into force in England and Wales which could affect more than half a million homes with a septic tank, many of which are rural holiday cottages.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>What&#8217;s changing<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If your holiday cottage septic tank drains directly into a watercourse, such as a ditch, stream or river, you will no longer be able to after 1st January 2020. You must replace or upgrade your treatment system or face a fine (up to \u00a3250k) from the Environment Agency for non-compliance.<\/p>\n<p>The regulation &#8216;General binding rules: small sewage discharge to a surface water&#8217; came out in 2015, but is enforceable from January 1 2020. It is intended to reduce pollution levels in watercourses as the wastewater isn\u2019t considered clean enough to flow straight into watercourses.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>What are the options for property owners?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are three main ways in which you can comply with the new regulations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Connecting to a mains sewer (which is not an option for most, and a costly one at over \u00a310,000)<\/li>\n<li>Install a drainage field or soakaway system (a network of perforated pipes which allows waste water from your septic tank to slowly soak into the ground). Estimated cost for a 4-bed house, between \u00a33500 and \u00a35000 depending on the size of the field.<\/li>\n<li>Replace the septic tank with a small sewage treatment plant which produces wastewater considered clean enough to discharge into a watercourse. Estimated cost in the region of \u00a38,000.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Which one you choose will depend on your individual situation and budget. Ensure you are compliant before January 2020 to avoid fines.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking to buy a holiday cottage that\u2019s not on mains sewerage get a drainage survey done to ensure the property is compliant with the new rules.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Further reading<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Additional information is available on the Government\u2019s website:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/permits-you-need-for-septic-tanks\">https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/permits-you-need-for-septic-tanks<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/general-binding-rules-small-sewage-discharge-to-a-surface-water\">https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/general-binding-rules-small-sewage-discharge-to-a-surface-water<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Strutt and Parker\u2019s produced a useful downloadable guide on septic tanks and sewage treatment plants here:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.struttandparker.com\/knowledge-and-research\/septic-tanks-sewage-treatment-plants-new-rules-for-existing-private-drainage-systems-in-england-and-wales\">https:\/\/www.struttandparker.com\/knowledge-and-research\/septic-tanks-sewage-treatment-plants-new-rules-for-existing-private-drainage-systems-in-england-and-wales<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Contact the Environment Agency to discuss your options:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/environment-agency#org-contacts\">https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/environment-agency#org-contacts<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span> Little known legislation is coming into force in England and Wales which could affect more than half a million homes with a septic tank, many of which are rural holiday cottages. What&#8217;s changing If your holiday cottage septic tank drains directly into a watercourse, such as a ditch, stream or river, you will no longer be able to after 1st &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-maintenance-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Septic Tank Regulations for Holiday Homes &amp; Cottages<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your holiday cottage septic tank will no longer be able to drain directly into a watercourse after 1st January 2020, Here are 3 alternative options.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.schofields.ltd.uk\/blog\/5364\/septic-tank-regulations\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Septic Tank Regulations for Holiday Homes &amp; 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