St Joseph Hospital: Consent For Treatment

Friday, 7 December 2012

Consent For Treatment

The Bio-Pure is a small packaged sewage treatment plant, which can discharge directly to surface water (and groundwater) as it is treated. As the owner of the Bio-Pure, it is your responsibility to check whether you need to obtain a permit to discharge (consent to discharge), or whether you are exempt. It is illegal to discharge sewage effluent without a registration (of exemption) or permit. Failure to register or obtain a permit may result in enforcement action by the Environment Agency.

The rules for discharging sewage effluent in England and Wales have recently changed (6th April 2010) under The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2008. You will now need to apply for a permit to discharge from your sewage treatment plant. However, there are circumstances where a permit is not necessary and an exemption may be obtained instead.

Circumstances for obtaining an exemption

You may be eligible for exemption, rather than a permit, where sewage effluent is discharged either:

1) to surface water (i.e. a river, stream, estuary or the sea) and the volume is 5m3 a day or less

2) to groundwater via a drainage field or filtration system and the volume is 2m3 a day or less

and you meet certain criteria. This will include:

*You must have necessary planning permission and approval for building regulations.

*You must not discharge trade effluent. The effluent must be domestic in nature and not cause pollution.

*You must not reasonably be able to connect to a public foul sewer. You can not register if you are within 30 metres.

*You must not be in close proximity to a sensitive site, which includes; conservation areas, bathing waters and groundwater source protection zones (The criteria is different for discharges to groundwater and surface water).

Click here to see groundwater protection zones (click on groundwater).