Application Pack 5 How to apply for a Connection to a Public Sewer/Lateral Drain Guidance Notes The provisions of the Water Industry Act 1991 (WIA91) take precedence over these notes. We recommend that you read the guidance notes before making an application. The completion of the request will not be deemed as a formal notice under S106 WIA 1991. The information you provide as part of your request will enable us to provide you with the development specific information you require to complete your application and issue a formal notice under S106 WIA 1991. This process needs to be followed even when you intend to connect indirectly to a public sewer via a private sewer or drain. Note: Where the term sewer is used in this document, it includes both sewers and lateral drains unless specifically stated otherwise. Terms used in this Application Pack are explained in our Glossary which is on our website 1. Introduction If you are the owner or occupier of premises or the owner of drains or sewers which serve premises, you can apply to make a connection for domestic flows to the public sewerage system. Whether you intend to connect directly to a public sewer/lateral drain or indirectly to a private drain which in turn is connected to a public sewer, you must apply to us for permission to do so. Section 106 of the WIA91 requires you to serve Notice. Most types of development require Planning Permission from the Local Planning Authority before the development can proceed. Where Planning Permission is required, we will not process an application to make a connection unless full details of the Planning Permission, including all conditions, are provided. If you do not need Planning Permission, you will be required to give a brief explanation of the type of development which you are proposing to connect to the public sewer. 1
a) It is an offence to connect to a public sewer without serving a valid Notice and you must have our approval before communicating your sewer or drain to our sewer. Approval will not be given unless the administration fee has been paid. If an illegal connection is made, we will close the connection and recover our costs from the responsible party. Carrying out work involving contact with sewage carries significant risks in relation to Health and Safety. These risks include, but are not limited to, exposure to infections and working in potentially explosive and poisonous atmospheres. Anyone who is not competent to deal with these risks must not carry out any construction involving work on a public sewer. In order to protect everyone who is working on or near public sewers, we must be able to control access to the public sewers so that we can warn of specific dangers when we are aware of them. In addition we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone who is working on public sewers and must know when and where contractors are working. Because of the safety risk, anyone who works on a public sewer without our authorisation is liable to criminal proceedings. b) As a condition of approval of your application to connect we may require you to construct your drainage to adoptable standards, as detailed in the current edition of Sewers for Adoption A design and construction guide for developers (SFA). If you are subject to such a condition it will be included in our approval and we will adopt the drain/sewer following connection. c) You can also apply for a lateral drain (the drain connecting your property to the public sewer) as far as the demarcation chamber to be adopted by us on completion of the connection (we will adopt the demarcation chamber.) To do this you should refer to our Application Pack 8 Adoption of Proposed Sewerage d) If we consider it necessary, we can investigate your drainage to ensure that its condition and mode (method) of construction is satisfactory. If unsatisfactory workmanship, materials or condition threaten the proper operation of our sewerage, we may remove the connection at your expense. We generally have 21 days after the receipt of your Notice (not your initial application) to permit or refuse to permit the connection. However, if we decide that we will carry out the connection ourselves, we will notify you within 14 days. 2
Procedure Connecting Directly to a Public Sewer When you have submitted the formal notice we will either refuse the proposal, giving reasons, or approve it. If we approve your proposal, we have 2 options for undertaking the connection: Option a) We allow you to carry out the work using one of our Health and Safety (H&S) accredited contractors, details of which can be provided upon request. As part of your application you must identify the accredited contractor you will use to make the connection and using this contractor will be a condition of our approval. In order that we can inspect your work, you, or your Contractor, must give us at least 48 hours notice (excluding weekends and official public holidays) before commencing work. You will be responsible for paying our administration fee for work in normal working hours. Full costs will be payable from you for any inspections carried out outside normal hours. We approve the proposed connection only. Other consents commonly required (by you) include consents from Highway Authorities and landowners. You may also be required to comply with Building Regulations and Health and Safety requirements If the connection work is unsatisfactory we will inform you of any remedial works which you will need to undertake; our costs for any additional inspections will be payable by you on a time and expense basis. Option b) We do not allow you to carry out the Connection. We do not allow you to connect to certain types of assets due to the strategic nature of the asset, the complexity or associated risks in making the connection. Where we do not allow you or your contractor to make the connection, we will write to you and provide you with further advice. You will be required to pay all costs relating to the connection. Any works in a Public Highway, (including in footpaths and verges which form part of the highway) are subject to the Traffic Management Act 2008. Under certain circumstances, a minimum notification period of three months is required and you should take this into consideration when planning a connection to a public sewer. 3
Connecting to a private drain which connects to a public sewer There are some types of assets which have not transferred to our ownership following changes in legislation and these are; Some Pumping stations and pumping mains Sewers and lateral drains which were not constructed or not connected to the public sewerage system on 1 July 2011 Surface Water sewers and lateral drains which do not connect to the public sewerage system A drain serving one property only which is located within the curtilage of the property. If you are connecting to a public sewer via a private drain, you must obtain the permission of the owner or owners of the private drain before making an application to us. The application process is the same as if you were connecting directly to a public sewer. You do not need to use a contractor who is approved by us, but you should be aware that you will have liabilities under Health and Safety legislation for which you should seek professional advice. When connecting to a private drain or sewer it is your responsibility to connect to the correct drain. (i.e. surface water to the surface water sewer and foul to the foul sewer). It is also your responsibility to obtain the relevant permission to cross private land. We will inspect the connection to the private drain in the same way that we would inspect a connection to a public sewer. Whether you are connecting directly or indirectly to a public sewer you will incur annual sewerage charges and an infrastructure charge. These charges are explained in Our Scheme of Charges. 2. General Requirements The physical connection to the public sewer must comply with the requirements of the current edition of SFA, and any other requirements we may have. It must also meet mandatory Health and Safety requirements which may over-ride the requirements of the SFA. To obtain copies of SFA you should contact Water Research Council (WRC) using the following contact details; Website (online ordering): www.webookshop.com E-mail: publications@wrcplc.co.uk Telephone: 01793 865012. 4
If you require any further assistance in making an application you can contact us at:-: Building Regulations Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Developer Services PO Box 3146 Cardiff CF30 0EH Tel No: 0800 9172652 Fax No: 02920 740472 Email: - developer.services@dwrcymru.com The Guidance to Building Regulations 2000 (2002 as amended) requires that both foul and surface water flows are disposed of in prescribed ways. For foul water drainage, an adequate system must be provided to carry foul water from the building to one of the following, in order of priority; a) A public sewer/lateral drain or, where that is not reasonably practicable, b) A private sewer or drain which connects to a public sewer or, where that is not reasonably practicable, c) A septic tank with an appropriate form of secondary treatment or another form of treatment or, where that is not reasonably practicable, d) A cesspool. For surface water drainage, (referred to as rainwater drainage in the Regulations) the requirement is that the rainwater from premises must be connected to one of the following, in order of priority; a) An adequate soakaway or other infiltration system or, where that is not reasonably practicable, b) A watercourse or, where that is not reasonably practicable c) A sewer. The drainage must also meet standards to avoid blocking, leakage and flooding and must be ventilated and accessible for clearing blockages. For both Greenfield and Brownfield sites the connection of surface water flows to the public sewers must be seen as an option of last resort and must have our approval. More details of sustainable drainage methods can be found at the SUDS Working Group for Wales website which can be found at www.sudswales.com. 5
Domestic Flows The WIA 1991 provisions allow the connection to a public sewer of drains or sewers serving premises, but limits the type of sewage which can be discharged. Liquids from factories (except domestic sewage) and any matter which statute prohibits cannot be discharged. In addition, where separate foul and surface water sewers are provided, there is no entitlement to connect foul sewage to the surface water sewer or surface water to the foul sewer. Surface water discharges are limited to the flow from the roofs and yards of premises, and land drainage discharges are not permitted. Discharges from public highways are permitted only if requested by the Highway Authority and specifically consented by us. We will not accept surface water flows from non-domestic sources such as car parks. In the interests of the environment and our customers, these flows must be discharged through the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), or directly to a watercourse. If you wish to discharge process water from factories or workshops or discharge from a swimming pool you must obtain our permission to make a Trade Effluent Discharge before applying for a connection. Please see Application Pack 12 - Applying for Consent to Discharge Trade Effluent to a Public Sewer (or to vary Existing Consent. Detailed Requirements Before you can make a connection to a public sewer you must first receive our approval of the mode (method) of connection. The different modes (methods) which we allow are given below in order of preference. Via an existing manhole wherever practicable. Via a newly constructed manhole. In certain circumstances we will allow pre-formed junctions to be used, Pre- formed junctions shall be in-line, with flexible joints complying with the requirements of the Water Industry Specification (WIS) 4-11-01 Specification for Flexible Couplings for Gravity Sewer and Drainage Pipes.. 6
3. Applying for Permission to Connect Application Forms In order to make an application you must complete, the application form. The initial application is a two staged approach and if you decide to apply via our website you will receive a confirmation email. At this point we will contact you and provide you with the additional details (sewer plan, manhole connection plan formal notice proforma and checklist).you will also be required to provide the additional information requested below. A drawing showing exactly how your connection will be made. To assist you we include an example of what we require and ask you to sketch your proposed connection in a similar format. A drawing showing the drains and sewers on your property. In the case of large developments, the full extent of the drainage for all the proposed properties must be shown. A copy of your planning application, planning approval and any associated conditions A copy of the Public Sewer Record plan marked up to clearly indicate the connecting property or properties, proposed connection point and the route of any private drains. Some public sewers and drains may not be recorded in our map of public sewers because they were originally privately owned and were transferred into public ownership by Act of Parliament or Statutory Regulation. The presence of such assets may affect your proposals and you can help us to deal with your proposals by identifying any sewers of which you are aware and which are not shown in the public sewer record. We can assist developers to collect the information required but we may make a charge for this service. Payment Options Payment should be made via a cheque made payable to Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, which should accompany your application. 4. Assessment When we receive your completed and application Forms, Fees, and supporting documents we will check them for completeness and acceptability. Should we find any errors, omissions or reasons for refusal we will return your application and payment within 21 days of receipt, stating the reasons. 7
5. Summary of Costs a) Connection made by your contractor You will be responsible for the following costs: i. Our inspection fee ii. Our infrastructure charges* iii. Our annual sewerage charges*. iv. All of your contractor s costs, including the cost of laying your sewer or drain Or b) Connection made by us You will be responsible for the following costs: i. Our costs in undertaking the connection ii. Our infrastructure charges* iii. Our annual sewerage charges* iv. Any costs due to your contractor for laying your sewer or drain. * Details of these charges can be found in Our Scheme of Charges. 8