Guidance for sewage discharge activities in Northern Ireland and Scotland

This guidance is for sewage discharges from domestic and non-domestic settings.

Domestic settings means housing.

Non-domestic settings include:

  • hotels,
  • caravan and camping sites,
  • glamping pods
  • cafes, etc

If your house or business is not connected the the public sewer, you probably use a private sewage treatment system, such as a septic tank or package treatment plant. This might only deal with the sewage and wastewater from your property, or it could be from several properties. 
This type of system discharges to land or water and could cause pollution. By law, it requires an authorisation.

 

In Northern Ireland:

you should refer to guidance on the DAERA website:
DAERA: Regulating water discharges 

Sewage discharges in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland uses a different a system and you should refer to guidance on the DAERA website:

Regulating water discharges | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)

The Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 states the discharge of trade or sewage waste to any waterway, or any water contained underground requires the consent of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. This includes waste from any commercial, industrial or domestic premises not connected to the public sewer.

Domestic Sewage Discharge Consent Applications:

Apply and pay for your Domestic Consent to discharge waste from a single domestic property (Single domestic property only) or Transfer of Ownership online using the link below:

Domestic Consent Applications(external link opens in a new window / tab)

Industrial / Commercial Discharge Consent Applications:

For guidance and applications for these type of discharges use the links below:

Complete appropriate annex for your industry type and submit with main application form WO1.

For sites of 2 or more dwellings, please first seek advice from NI Water regarding connection to the public sewer network. In the event that NI Water do not have capacity in their foul sewerage infrastructure you will need to apply to NI Water for a waste water impact assessment.
This will determine if there are any mitigation measures the developer can take to achieve a connection to NI Water infrastructure.

Please see NI Water services for developers for further details.

If, following NI Water advice, developer constructed sewage treatment is the only option, a suitable treatment plant, which can meet the specification for NI Water adoption under an Article 161 agreement will be considered. An application for an industrial consent to discharge would then be required. Applications for multiple domestic consents for adjacent properties as part of a housing development are not likely to be approved.

Joint Applications for Waste and Water authorisations

Please note that for activities requiring a Waste Management Licence under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 or a Part B PPC permit under The Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013, a consent to discharge under the terms of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 may also be required.

It is now possible to apply for these permissions in parallel.

 

Sewage discharges in Scotland


Consider the most suitable options – can you connect to the public foul sewer?

Any new or proposed building developments should connect to the public sewer.  Your sewerage provider is Scottish Water. Contact Scottish Water to find out how to connect to the public sewer.
Scottish Water: Connecting to Scottish Water network 

Connection to public sewer not possible – private discharges

If you are not proposing to connect to the public sewer and your site is within or adjacent to this, you should provide justification for this to SEPA, which should include the following:

  • Correspondence with your water sewerage provider, which is Scottish Water, outlining the potential to connect to the public sewer.   
  • A detailed cost breakdown comparing a connection to sewer with a private treatment system.
  • A detailed explanation of any technical issues making it infeasible to connect to the public sewer.

SEPA Authorisation for private sewage discharge

If your sewage discharge is not to the public sewer, the sewage effluent has to undergo treatment before it is released to land or water body, and you require an authorisation from SEPA for your private sewage discharge. 

Registration

The type of Authorisation from SEPA that you will require for your private sewage discharge is a Registration, if:

  • the sewage discharge is from developments of up to 10 (inclusive) domestic properties, from non-domestic developments of up to 50 population equivalent (p.e.) (inclusive), or from a combination of domestic and not domestic properties of up to 50 p.e.(inclusive); and
  • in the case of the discharge being to a phosphate sensitive catchment - catchments of Loch Leven (Perth and Kinross), Lunan Lochs (Perth and Kinross) and Loch Flemington (Highland), its sewage treatment system is more than two years old; and 
  • in the case of the discharge being to a freshwater loch or pond, its sewage treatment system is more than two years old.

In terms of treatment for your effluent before discharge, for private sewage discharges from up to 10 domestic properties or from non-domestic developments of up to 50 population equivalent (p.e.), it is preferred that the discharge is to land via a closed soakaway. If this is not possible, you may be able to discharge to a surface water, however you must first show evidence that you have considered a discharge to a closed soakaway.

You can apply for a SEPA Registration for your small sewage discharge, either online or by email. Online applications are quicker and easier. 

See SEPA guidance for applying for Registration of sewage treatment systems. 
SEPA: Guidance for the registration of private sewage treatment system 

To apply for a SEPA Registration for your small sewage discharge, go to:
SEPA: Register a septic tank or another small sewage discharge in Scotland 

 

Licence

The Authorisation you require from SEPA for a private sewage discharge is a Licence from SEPA if:

  • the  discharge from developments of more than 10 domestic properties, from non-domestic developments of more than 50 population equivalent (p.e.), or from a combination of domestic and not domestic properties of more than 50 p.e.(inclusive); or
  • the discharge is to a phosphate sensitive catchment - catchments of Loch Leven (Perth and Kinross), Lunan Lochs (Perth and Kinross) and Loch Flemington (Highland) – and its  sewage treatment system that Is less than two years old; or
  • the discharge is to a freshwater loch or pond, and its treatment system Is less than two years old.

Who to contact for licence level pre-application discussions

If you need to have pre-application discussions , contact the Water Permitting team at SEPA. 

What information should you supply?

For pre-application discussions or when applying for a private discharge, you should supply the environmental regulator with the following supporting information:

  • National Grid Reference (NGR)
  • Site drainage plan including discharge location
  • General site plan showing plot and surrounding area
  • Evidence and justification showing connection to sewer not feasible
  • Ground investigation report or alternative evidence outlining why the ground is unsuitable for a closed soakaway (if applicable)
  • Population equivalent calculation (for non-domestic discharges)
  • Details of proposed treatment plant including mean effluent standards for BOD and ammonia (must be shown as mg/L)

See SEPA guidance for applying for a Licence to discharge sewage effluent
SEPA: How to Apply for a Licence to Discharge Sewage Effluent 

 

Further information

You should also refer to the relevant guidance documents before approaching your environmental regulator for advice. These will help you understand the requirements for your development. The following documents will assist you:

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