The Environment Agency is working to reduce the amount of nutrients reaching watercourses, in particular phosphates from septic tanks and package treatment plants.
Anglian Water already removes phosphate at its larger sewage treatment plants but if you have a septic tank or package treatment plant the Agency needs your help to further reduce phosphate pollution.
Read below to find out how can you reduce the phosphate coming from your septic tanks or package treatment plant.
Have your tank emptied regularly (at least once a year) to avoid a build-up of sludge.
A proportion of phosphate settles out into the sludge. If this sludge is not removed then the volume of the tank is reduced meaning that more untreated sewage will pass out into the soakaway, carrying phosphate and solids with it. Solids in a soakaway can also cause blockages which are expensive to fix.
When choosing a de-sludging contractor, please ensure that they will dispose of the sludge responsibly and safely, preferably to the nearest sewage treatment works.
Choose environmentally friendly detergent brands with no phosphate at all. Buy laundry liquids or powders which tend to contain less phosphate than tablets.
One form of phosphate is sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). Try and buy products which contain less than 5% of STPP, and encourage tenants, employees and colleagues to do the same.
Check that your septic tanks (including the soakaway drains) are a suitable distance from any watercourse and that they don’t drain into a watercourse.
Septic tanks do not clean the sewage sufficiently for it to directly enter a watercourse. If your tank pipes water straight to a watercourse, please consult a drainage expert to stop this – you would be breaking the law if you allow this situation to continue. One symptom of septic tank liquid entering a watercourse is smelly black/grey strands of ‘sewage fungus’ in the water.
If you live in Norfolk look out for an Environment Agency leaflet enclosed with the March edition of your British Farmer and Grower magazine. Please take the time to read this and then pass it on to friends and neighbours.
More details are available in the pollution prevention guideline (PPG 4) available from the Environment Agency’s website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk or by phoning them on 03708 506506* (Mon-Fri 8-6)
*Calls to 03 numbers cost the same as calls to standard geographic numbers (i.e. numbers beginning with 01 or 02).
If you’ve found this article useful or have information that could help this project please let us know by emailing lisa.turner@environment-agency.gov.uk.
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