Drainage Misconnections

Since the 1920s we have tried to keep foul waste water and storm water systems separate so that the sewage treatment plants are not dealing with large volumes of rain water unnecessarily, so in most cases the foul waste now makes its way to a sewage treatment plant and the storm water will either run to soak-aways or into our rivers and brooks via storm water systems.

Unfortunately though there are many misconnections where foul waste finds its way into the storm water systems due to one reason or another and the resulting pollution affects the natural ecology of our rivers and streams which in turn affects plant and wild life.

Its not just faecal waste that causes these problems as waste water from sinks and washing machines can be just as damaging due to the detergents we use, and of course contaminants found in industrial effluent can be devastating if it finds its way into a water course.

For a more detailed break down of the affects this pollution is having and the long term damage that this can lead too can be found on the excellent Connect Right website, a fascinating read and a real eye opener to the damage caused and why we should act fast on this subject.

How Do Drainage Misconnections Happen ?

We usually find builders connect into the nearest available drain when constructing extensions or conservatories and the most common defects found are sinks and washing machine outlets discharging into rain water gullies.

There is of course no excuse for such practices and proposed drainage connections should be part of the information required for planning consent and the connections themselves should be overseen and passed as part of the building control process, with regard to misconnections on lesser works such as bathroom refits and washing machine installations basic education and training is required at a very early stage of our future plumbers and building contractors careers.

If you know you have two separate drainage systems then its easy enough to check at ground level if there are waste pipes discharging into rain water gullies, otherwise its a case of flush and dye testing, drain camera surveys and sonar tracing so you should really employ a certified drainage contractor to do the works

Local Authorities, Water Companies and the Environment Agency will often target an estate or area to test for misconnections, if they find pollution coming from your property you will be served with a notice that states that you have to rectify the problem within a set time period

Next Page - Drainage Contractors Saving The Planet !

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