Individual sewerage installations for the treatment of domestic waste water

Order amending the Order of 7 September 2009 laying down the technical specifications applicable to individual sewerage systems receiving a gross load of organic waste less than or equal to 1.2 kg/day of BOD5 and the Order of 27 April 2012 on the implementing procedures for the inspection of individual sewerage installations

The Order of 7 September 2009 laying down the technical specifications applicable to individual sewerage systems was notified on 1 August 2008 pursuant to Directive 98/34/EC (Notification No 2008/333/F). This Order is divided into five sections which define the general principles; the minimum technical specifications applicable to treatment; the minimum specifications applicable to drainage; maintenance and disposal of individual sewerage by-products and drainage and the special case of composting toilet systems. The annexes list the systems authorised by the co-signatory ministries.

The notified draft text amends the following points of the Order of 7 September 2009:

- the procedures for renewing approvals as well as the transitional provisions which apply to approvals issued before the publication of the Decree on the approval of individual sewerage treatment systems, which introduces the principle of renewing approvals every seven years (approvals are currently issued ‘indefinitely’);

- strengthening the procedure for approving individual sewerage (ANC [assainissement non collectif]) treatment systems by prohibiting the systems from being drained during the 12 sequences of platform tests and by introducing a more robust method for interpreting platform test results;

- strengthening the requirements for the maintenance of individual sewerage systems. In particular, systems comprising electromechanical or mechanical equipment will now be checked at least annually and maintained by a person competent in waste water treatment as often as necessary;

- introduction of the possibility of carrying out underground plant irrigation without affecting the permeability of the soil.