Welcome to Pro Drainage Group, the United Kingdom’s prime specialists in domestic and commercial sewage treatment plants. We’re proud to be renowned as the country’s foremost authority in installing, repairing, and maintaining all kinds of sewage treatment plants.
The term “General Binding Rules” refers to the legal standards and conditions established by regulations. These rules are anchored in various legislative texts, including the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (England) Regulations of 2014, which were later incorporated into the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations of 2016, and most recently updated in the 2023 Amendment.
These General Binding Rules are comprised of specific conditions and technical requirements, as outlined by the Environment Agency in their guidelines for operators. Compliance with these rules is mandatory for anyone operating a septic tank or a small sewage treatment plant that processes minor sewage discharges.
The rules specify the criteria that these septic tanks and sewage treatment plants must fulfil in order to operate without needing an environmental permit.
These updated General Binding Rules will be effective starting October 2, 2023. For the rules applicable before this date, please consult the General Binding Rules for Small Sewage Discharges (SSDs), effective from January 2015.
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| Rule number | Discharges to surface water | Discharges to ground | General binding rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No | Yes | The discharge must be 2 cubic metres or less per day in volume. |
| 2 | Yes | No | The discharge must be 5 cubic metres or less per day in volume. |
| 3 | Yes | Yes | The sewage must only be domestic. |
| 4 | Yes | Yes | The discharge must not cause pollution of surface water or groundwater. |
| 5 | No | Yes | The sewage must receive treatment from a septic tank and infiltration system (drainage field) or sewage treatment plant and infiltration system. |
| 6 | Yes | No | The sewage must receive treatment from a sewage treatment plant. |
| 7 | No | Yes | The discharge must not be within a groundwater source protection zone 1 or within 50 metres from any well, spring or borehole that is used to supply water for domestic or food production purposes. |
| 8 | Yes | No | For discharges in tidal waters, the discharge outlet must be below the mean spring low water mark. |
| 9 | Yes | Yes | All works and equipment used for the treatment of sewage effluent and its discharge must comply with the relevant design and manufacturing standards, meaning the British Standard that was in force at the time of the installation, and guidance issued by the appropriate authority on the capacity and installation of the equipment. |
| 10 | Yes | Yes | The system must be installed and operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification. |
| 11 | Yes | Yes | Maintenance must be undertaken by someone who is competent. |
| 12 | Yes | Yes | Waste sludge from the system must be safely disposed of by an authorised person. |
| 13 | Yes | Yes | If a property is sold, the operator must give the new operator a written notice stating that a small sewage discharge is being carried out, and giving a description of the waste water system and its maintenance requirements. |
| 14 | Yes | Yes | The operator must ensure the system is appropriately decommissioned where it ceases to be in operation so that there is no risk of pollutants or polluting matter entering groundwater, inland fresh waters or coastal waters. |
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| Rule number | Discharges to surface water | Discharges to ground | General binding rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Yes | Yes | Discharges must not be within 30 metres of a public foul sewer. |
| 16 | Yes | Yes | For discharges, the operator must ensure that the necessary planning and building control approvals for the treatment system are in place. |
| 17 | Yes | No | Discharges must not be in or within: 500 metres of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site, biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), freshwater pearl mussel population, designated bathing water, or protected shellfish water; 200 metres of an aquatic local nature reserve; 50 metres of a chalk river or aquatic local wildlife site. |
| 18 | No | Yes | Discharges must not be in, or within 50 metres of, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site, or biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and must not be in an Ancient Woodland. |
| 19 | Yes | No | Discharges must be made to a watercourse that normally has flow throughout the year. |
| 20 | Yes | No | For discharges, any partial drainage field must be installed within 10 metres of the bank side of the watercourse. |
| 21 | Yes | No | Discharges must not be made to an enclosed lake or pond. |
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| Rule number | Discharges to surface water | Discharges to ground | General binding rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Yes | Yes | A new discharge shall not use the same outlet as any other discharge if the combined volume of those discharges would exceed the volumetric general binding rules thresholds for groundwater or surface water. |
| 23 | Yes | Yes | A new discharge shall not be made to a discharge point within 50 metres of any other exempt groundwater activity or water discharge activity. |
If you would like further professional advice around the 2020 regulations, please do get in touch with us by calling 0800 824 72 99 or dropping us an email. For your convenience we have provided a form here that you can complete and one of our team members will get back to you as soon as possible.