Section 106 New connection to a public sewer: Guidance notes

Transcription

1 Section 106 New connection to a public sewer: Guidance notes Page 1 15 May 2012

2 Sewer Connection Guidance Notes Section 106 and 107 of the Water Industry Act 1991 IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO MAKE A CONNECTION TO A PUBLIC SEWER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN APPROVAL OF NORTHUMBRIAN WATER Introduction There are two parts to the approval of a new connection. First of all Northumbrian Water must approve the principle of the connection (i.e. connection point, flows etc.). Secondly Northumbrian Water must approve the proposed works required to make the connection. There are two options for making a new direct connection to a public sewer: Option 1 Northumbrian Water s approved contractor undertakes the work at your expense Option 2 Northumbrian Water approves a contractor of your choice to carry out the work. Please note Northumbrian Water s consent is not guaranteed. Northumbrian Water will inspect the quality of the construction. Or if you wish to make an indirect connection, via a connection to a private sewer that communicates with a public sewer: Option 3 Your contractor undertakes the work to connect to a private sewer, once Northumbrian Water has approved the principle of the discharge In all cases Northumbrian Water will, if requested, adopt a lateral drain from a manhole at the boundary of your property to the point of connection with the existing public sewer. Connection approval is valid for a period of 90 days, if the physical connection is not carried out in this period a new application must be made. Option 1 - Northumbrian Water s Approved Contractors You can employ one of Northumbrian Water s approved contractors to carry out the connection work on your behalf. The contact details of these contractors will be provided to you when approval to your application is issued. Approved contractors comply with all Health & Safety and Roads & Streetworks legislation and requirements. If you choose this option a connection application form and a non refundable administration fee is required. A full and complete application will be processed within 15 working days. When your application is approved you will be issued with a unique reference number, without which the contractor will not commence work. This option guarantees the quality of the works undertaken, and ensures strict compliance with health and safety legislation. Page 2 15 May 2012

3 Option 2 - Contractor of your choice You can request that Northumbrian Water approves a contractor of your choice to carry out the work. Please note Northumbrian Water s consent is not guaranteed. A connection application form must be submitted along with a non refundable administration fee. In addition the contractor must provide a method statement, risk assessment and other evidence of competency (depending on location and means of connection) for approval. These documents can be submitted with your initial application or after Northumbrian Water have approved your point of connection to the sewer. Northumbrian Water will provide you with an Operational Risk Assessment which must be forwarded to your contractor. It will highlight any known potential hazards in relation to the sewer to which you are connecting. Your contractor will also need to comply with all relevant legal requirements. For example, all works in the street must comply with the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act and you will be responsible for the subsequent reinstatement. You must liaise directly with the Highway Authority on these matters. In addition, if the connection is to be in land belonging to a third party, Northumbrian Water will need to be satisfied that you have the consent of the land owner, before we can agree the connection. A full and complete application will be processed within 15 working days. Northumbrian Water encourage connections to be made without man entry in to the Public Sewer. If this can not be avoided the contractor must submit details of their Permit to Enter procedure for approval. A minimum of two working days notice must be given to Northumbrian Water of when the connection is to be made to enable site inspections to be programmed. If any additional inspections are required due to defective work or the contractor not satisfying all Northumbrian Water s Health & Safety requirements an additional charge will be made. If the completed connection is backfilled prior to an inspection by Northumbrian Water you may be invoiced for CCTV costs and the costs of any correcting any defects. Option 3 - Indirect Connections An indirect connection is a connection made to an existing private pipe that is already connected to the public sewer i.e. a connection to an existing private drain or sewer. In the case of connection to a private drain or sewer, Northumbrian Water will be approving the principle of the discharge to the public sewer and not the physical connection. Permission to connect must be obtained from the owner of the drain/sewer and you must also ensure the adequacy of the private drain/sewer to accept the connection(s) and additional flows. Northumbrian Water will not inspect indirect connections. The Building Control Department of your local authority may wish to inspect and should be made aware of your proposals in this respect. Page 3 15 May 2012

4 Pre Development Enquiry If you propose to connect three or more domestic dwellings (or the non-domestic equivalent) to the public sewer you must submit a Pre Development Enquiry to Northumbrian Water prior to submitting a connection application. This process will confirm if the public sewerage system has capacity to accept your proposed discharges. Please refer to the Sewerage Services section of our website for Pre-Development Enquiries. Trade Effluent Non-domestic discharges require a Trade Effluent Consent. If anything other than domestic sewage is discharged into the public sewers without a Trade Effluent Consent, an offence is committed and the applicant will be liable to the penalties contained in Section 118 of the Water Industry Act The discharge of non-domestic effluent is not permitted until Northumbrian Water has issued a valid Trade Effluent Consent. Please refer to the Trade Effluent pages on our website if you require Trade Effluent Consent. Infrastructure Charges All sewer connections that connect a property to the public sewer for the first time are subject to a sewerage infrastructure charge. This charge is in addition to all other fees and is related to the increased demand on the sewerage system. The current fee is indicated in the application form. If your connection is for anything other than a domestic dwelling the fee will be calculated on an individual basis. The sewerage infrastructure fee is normally invoiced when a water connection application is made however if this has not been done an invoice will follow. Page 4 15 May 2012

5 Connection Methods Connection to the public sewer must be by one of the following methods: 1. Pre formed junction suitable for sewers 150mm or less by removing a length of sewer using a pipe cutter or disc saw. A pre formed junction shall then be inserted and secured using coupling to form flexible joints. The couplings should be compatible with the pipes and fittings involved and they shall comply with any Water Industry Standard. This method may also be used for larger pipes. 2. Saddle Connection suitable for sewers having a diameter of 300mm or greater by cutting a hole into the pipe with a suitable trepanning device. A short piece of pipe with a socket attached shall then be inserted into the hole and sealed with epoxy mortar. 3. Existing Manhole suitable for pipes of any diameter where there is a convenient existing manhole. Connections should be made at soffit level by cutting brickwork or concrete and inserting a stub pipe. Manhole benching should be reformed to suit new flow patterns. 4. New Manhole If the connection is to serve 4 or more domestic properties you will be required to provide a new manhole to the standards of the current edition of Sewers for Adoption. 5. Pumped Connections a private chamber should be constructed from which a gravity connection should be made to the sewer. Public Sewer Records If you require a copy of a plan showing the approximate location of public sewers please contact Northumbrian Water Property Solutions on There is a nominal fee for this service. It is essential that you satisfy yourself that there is a public sewer available to take your connection, before making a connection application. Contact Details Should you require any further information or assistance please contact us at: New Development Sewerage Team Northumbrian Water Leat House Pattinson Road Washington Tyne & Wear NE38 8LB Telephone Page 5 15 May 2012

6 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): How long will it take to get a response to my application? We will respond to your application within 15 working days. However if the application is incomplete the response may take longer. How long is the approval valid for? Approval is valid for a period of 90 days, if the physical connection is not carried out in this period a new application must be made. Why do I have to pay infrastructure charges? Water infrastructure charge means the charge for first time water connection or for the redevelopment of premises previously having a water connection. Sewerage infrastructure charge means the charge for first time sewerage connection or for the redevelopment of premises previously having a sewerage connection. The charges are cumulative, i.e. you will need to pay two charges where a water connection and a sewer connection are required, for each new or redeveloped property. Infrastructure charges are one off payments that are used to reinforce the infrastructure which Northumbrian Water uses to provide clean water and wastewater services. Developments or redevelopments result in an increase in clean water used and an increase in the amount of foul sewage and surface-water runoff produced. The additional clean water demand means we need to provide more clean water to customers. The additional foul and surface water can increase flood risk and cause combined sewer overflows and wastewater treatment works to fail discharge consents, and cause pollution incidents. The infrastructure charges are used in a combination of ways to increase the capacity of clean water provision and increase the capacity of foul and surface water conveyance, treatment and disposal: Upgrading and up-sizing clean water reservoirs, pumping stations, water treatment works and water main networks Upgrading and upsizing sewers, storm water attenuation, pumping stations and waste water treatment works Providing flood relief schemes Paying for the cost of increased maintenance and administration The infrastructure charges are regulated by Ofwat and reviewed annually. Page 6 15 May 2012