Combining Rainwater with greywater

[Master321]

Hi,

I am planning to swap the location of my kitchen and dining room and the best route for the greywater would be into existing rainwater gulleys - with a short extension. It is a house from the early 30s so the rain and soil pipe already combine before entering a combined sewer running through the back gardens.

I have sent the attached plans to building control and they have confirmed they are happy in principle, but in a subsequent conversation said a soakaway is "advisable" and I would need to get approval from the water board for any increase in greywater. There will not be an increase in greywater as I will have the same facilities in the new kitchen.

I don't want to trip myself up when I try to clarify the position with building control, so does anyone have any experience with a similar situation to that attached, do you feel it is acceptable?

Thanks for any guidance!

 

[IT Minion]

New builds must have their own soakaways for rain water, and it'd help reduce flooding if everyone else also stopped putting rainwater down the sewers, but you don't have to put a soakaway in if you're moving a kitchen or bathroom.

If you were building a new extension then you should be putting in a soakaway for the water off that roof, but you're not, so you don't have to.

 

[Master321]

Thank you for the swift and reassuring response! It sounds like the solution should be feasible.

It prompts a follow up thought - I have read online is that rainwater and waste/soil water should be kept seperate until the point they join the sewer, in case in future the water board decides to install seperate sewers. Is this also something that only applies to new extensions so won't stop my proposed yellow alignment? The current extension was built and signed off in 2011 if that makes a difference.

Thanks again.

 

[mrrusty]

so the rain and soil pipe already combine before entering a combined sewer running through the back gardens

Exactly the same as mine, and BC signed off a new rainwater connection on a new extension 3 years ago direct to sewer no questions asked. We're on clay though, so soakaways don't work anyway.

 

[Londoner2]

We built an extension, BC recommended a soakway, however i live in a floodplain with a high water table so thats discounted, in the end we agreed on a large waterbutt and that went through ok.

 

[Londoner2]

We built an extension, BC recommended a soakway, however i live in a floodplain with a high water table so thats discounted, in the end we agreed on a large waterbutt and that went through ok.

 

[Master321]

Hi all, thanks for your help. Spoke to BCO today and they are happy with converting the rainwater in this instance as no increase in greywater discharge, they said Wessex were unlikely to have an issue even if there was a small extension.