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For some of the sites we attend to devise a quotation for a workable wastewater solution there are a number of things to consider and no matter the size of the property, there are circumstances in which a straightforward installation would not be suitable.

Careful consideration is required to identify what existing drainage is in situ on site, what falls we need to factor in and where the new system would need to be located.

At a recent property in North Yorkshire our contracts manager took into account the existing site layout and the proposed renovation works, it is always important when looking at a wastewater design to consider the current requirements and also potential for future expansion.

The new system for this site was required to not only serve the existing dwelling but also a new proposed gym in a separate building.

At our initial site attendance, the property was being served by a Septic tank with an outfall to the watercourse, a small foul pumping station lifted the waste from the rear of the property. This entire set up is non-compliant with the 2020 General Binding Rules.

The best proposed course of action to ensure a workable and compliant system was to replace the Septic Tank with a new package sewage treatment plant, this allowed us to still utilise an outfall to watercourse.

However due to site topography and the levels in which the connection to the watercourse needed to be achieved there were multiple parts of the site that required some form of variation.

This included the upgrade of the existing pump station on site, the installation of two new pumps, one from the gym and one from the old septic tank location.

The Clenviro CLF1a Matrix package sewage treatment plant was selected to receive the incoming from site, this system is correctly certified to the required British Standard in order to legally discharge to the watercourse, this would bring the system back to compliance in relation to the 2020 General Binding Rules.

All pumped inlet terminated in an inlet inspection chamber to slow the flow and to avoid the new system from being overloaded, all sewage treatment plants are designed to deal with a consistent flow and surges of water can disrupt the media treating the unit.

Even the new sewage treatment plant itself was an IPS to lift the treated effluent to the outfall location, the system’s effluent quality should be in line with the BS EN 12566-3 Quality standard providing the system is appropriately maintained and serviced.