mixing soil and surface water

gahsux

Hi all,
In my house which is quite old, the soil water from basins,kitchen is piped into the gutter downpipes which then run to a soak pit in the garden.
I thought this might be ecologically sound due to it not adding to sewage water but I've recently heard that soil water should never go to a soak pit.

Is this a big problem or should I leave it?

Joey the lips

I cannot find the regulations but I am sure the law is either a septic tank or a main line sewer connection

Micky Dolenz

Regs aren't retrospective though. A large percentage of private dwellings are piped like the OP's.

BrenCooney

Section 3 of the 1977 Water Pollution act however makes it an offence for anybody to discharge polluting matter to waters (either ground or surface).
All soiled waters are polluting so should be directed to a septic tank or other onsite wastewater treatment system and percolation area for proper disposal. Its better for the environment !

Carlow52

BrenCooney

if from here:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1977/en/act/pub/0001/index.html

General prohibition on entry of polluting matter to waters.
3.—(1) Subject to subsection (5), a person shall not cause or permit any polluting matter to enter waters.

and

"waters" includes—
( a ) any (or any part of any) river, stream, lake, canal, reservoir, aquifer, pond, watercourse or other inland waters, whether natural or artificial,
( b ) any tidal waters, and
( c ) where the context permits, any beach, river bank and salt marsh or other area which is contiguous to anything mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), and the channel or bed of anything mentioned in paragraph (a) which is for the time being dry,

where does your

(either ground or surface).

come from

danjo

BrenCooney wrote: »

.
All soiled waters are polluting so should be directed to a septic tank or other onsite wastewater treatment system and percolation area for proper disposal. Its better for the environment !

Would soiled water from sink not kill off bacteria in septic tanks as this waste often contains bleach?

BrenCooney

with regard to Carlow52,

ground waters are "aquifers" and
surface waters are everything else on the surface or "ground".

With regard to Danjo,

the levels of chlorine in the bleach being washed down into the septic tank are more than adequatly diluted and the impact of the bleach on the bacterial population is very localised and very short lived (well depending on how much bleach is washed down ).

hope this helps.

BrenC