Grey water / sewerage on camp site

[Pasty]

Anyone know where I can find info on this? I have a high up field we want to do glamping on. No rivers or streams nearby and mains water on site. So options are flushing or compost loos. Also gas showers and washing up facilities, producing grey water.

Can I just run grey water into a gravel pit? There is no mains electricity so treatment plant might be difficult. If we did go for flushing loos, what are the options / permits required etc.

Who do I speak to about this? The EA?

Thank you.

 

[Greenbeast]

Here for our temporary residence we've gone with composting loo and reedbed (then ditch) for the greywater. Still ironing out some issues, so can't give long term opinion on it. But by all accounts it should be fine.

But yes i suspect you'll need to speak to EA about sewage treatment/discharge

 

[gerr]

Environmental Health dept. at your local council is your main contact for this I'm afraid.

 

[Bury the Trash]

We have any amount of trouble with a field next to house 's and poor soakaways the EA dont want to know,and the council Eviromental health man has just wasted time and money on it since 2006 without persuing it even though all evidence got and seemingly proven case. I have had two ewes get stuck drown in so called grey water in the middle of a field.
Pathetic is the only way to describe the lack of action -and it makes one even more peed off and frustrated at the one sided state of affairs ; re farmers v the general pop.

 

[Still Farming]

Biobeds ???
Rushes??
Old moral-Those on top of heap dont take sh!t -its the ones below that do ???

 

[Bury the Trash]

The field is full of rushes anyway - far too lowlying/heavy for any extra,the dam frustrating thing is that the culprit houses have been offered places/space in the hamlet aeration plant (with 'clean' water outlet to the river ) for annual rates no capital cost other than a 100 metre stretch of osma to take the grey water there from their communal 'pit'.which i have given permission for them to do and even offered to pay for the trench digging
They have all built new conservatories/ kitchens / extensions/ landscaped gardens etc. so they have the money.
Bl..dy disgracfull makes me feel alone with the problem.

 

[Pasty]

That's awful and I certainly wouldn't want to cause an issue for neighbours. The field is long and narrow and the facilities will be at the top by the gate and either soaked away properly into the ground or pumped with a truck. I'm thinking a deep stone filled pit would be good for grey water (like 20' deep, stone and gravel) but obviously sewerage needs further consideration. Might just need to tank and pump it which is not nice on pumping day. Looking at compost loos if people would find them acceptable. Got plenty of home grown sawdust!

 

[Courier]

Not much use digging and stone filling a "soakaway" when the water table is high and encouraging rushes.....

 

[gerr]

We put all grey water through the septic tank to filter out particles. Then it goes through a soakaway. If doing it on the quiet, put a big soakaway in or you will have problems soon. If going down the council route, they will probably want a percolation test to help calculate the size of the soakaway. That's, dig a small hole, put water in and time it to disappear. then repeat.

 

[Pasty]

Not doing it on the quiet. It's too prominent a site and we would be dobbed immediately. So it's going to be a full application. Just wondering what other people had managed. Guess it depends what you are offering and the terrain.

 

[Welsh Farmer]

Sorry if I have missed something .... but why would you not want to run everything through a (pardon the pun) bog standard septic tank(s) system. That would deal with the grey water and sewerage as one, it wouldn't require constant emptying and when you do come to empty it then a septic tank is no where near as smelly as as a cesspit.

 

[Farfrae]

Composting toilets are excellent if well designed. The 'secret' is having a system where urine is diverted away from the solids.

Have used them in Ethiopia and certainly no smells or flies despite the hot climate.

 

[Pasty]

Sorry if I have missed something .... but why would you not want to run everything through a (pardon the pun) bog standard septic tank(s) system. That would deal with the grey water and sewerage as one, it wouldn't require constant emptying and when you do come to empty it then a septic tank is no where near as smelly as as a cesspit.

I suppose. Just can't see they will let me put one in the middle of a field! But I suppose if it's well designed and works, no reason why not.

 

[Welsh Farmer]

I suppose. Just can't see they will let me put one in the middle of a field! But I suppose if it's well designed and works, no reason why not.

I'd have thought they would be delighted because being as how everything is underground with a septic tank, the only visual impact of such a system is a very small manhole cover.

 

[Pasty]

I'd have thought they would be delighted because being as how everything is underground with a septic tank, the only visual impact of such a system is a very small manhole cover.

True I'm just expecting a tide of hatred when we put in for anything.

 

[mcavill]

septic tank and soakaway, as @gerr said you need to do percolation tests and have it all written down, needs EA registration for acceptance, but if you're a small set up there's a small discharge exemption option I think...look at EA website

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Call the EA and see if you can talk to your local Environment Management team leader (used to be pollution team). They may be willing to talk you through your options. They WILL have a preference but some teams will discuss it and some will not. Nothing to lose asking though.

 

[Pasty]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I did some drainage work for a little local camp site. There was no issue with the shower block as this went into the main drain and the building inspector passed this. The other 'grey water' goes into a big fibreglass Klargester type cess-pit. I put this in and surrounded it with concrete as the ground water would soon pop it out if it was emptied in winter time. This holds all the elsan caravan/camper van cassette water too. I made two stainless steel funnels to aid the waste disposal, one at ground level got auto disposal units and one at knee height for the manual type. (a bit like a chimney).
The system works well except that the elsan additive disposal makes the pump our a little more expensive.
Perhaps this is your solution?
I had a beautiful wooden engine crate standing up on end when I lived in Tasmania in the 90's. A syphon from the little spring up the hill to fill the cistern and an Aussie style soak-away with full planning permission. A loo with a view....
There was a bush-bath too with a syphon through a home made solar panel made like a closh that sat on the shed roof. Up the ladder with 50 litres of water, pour this into the holding tank, down again and turn on the tap. Presto, piping hot water!
SS

 

[Still Farming]

Thought chemical toilets had to be kept separate from normal sewerage ?