Domestic Wastewater Treatment

Products

Find Your Perfect Solution for Off-Mains Wastewater Treatment. With over 50 Years of Expertise, Hutchinson offers Unmatched Independence and Choice.

British Water Accredited Engineers

Wastewater experts since 1973

Work with multiple manufacturers

The default option for on-site domestic wastewater treatment has long been a septic tank followed by a drainage field (or “soakaway”), and in Scotland that remains SEPA’s preferred option – only if the ground is unsuitable will a discharge to surface waters be considered. In England and Wales, however, planning regulations stipulate that a packaged sewage treatment plant is preferred over a septic tank.

We design, supply, install and maintain wastewater treatment systems incorporating septic tanks and sewage treatment plants, and cesspits where neither of the other solutions is possible (except in Scotland, where cesspits are not permitted), and of course packaged pump stations where the main sewer – the first option to consider in all situations – is some way away.

Package Sewage Treatment Plants

Domestic Septic Tanks

Domestic Drainage Fields

Domestic Pump Stations

Reed Beds

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01434 220508

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07971 665929

Package Sewage Treatment Plant

Domestic package sewage treatment plants treat wastewater to a standard suitable for discharge to “surface water,” usually a flowing watercourse (subject to volume and quality considerations, and any required permissions from SEPA in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales in Wales, and the Environment Agency in England).

GRAF One2Clean

  • Looking for a high-quality sewage treatment plant? The Graf One2Clean plant includes a simple and highly effective “SBR” – Sequential Batch Reactor – treatment process.
  • The treatment of wastewater occurs in multiple stages. Initially, high-intensity aeration is used to decrease the organic load of BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand). Next, low-intensity aeration is employed to lower the nutrient load of nitrogen. Finally, no aeration is used to enable solids settlement and decrease total suspended solids in preparation for the final phase of discharging the now clarified treated effluent.
  • By treating wastewater in this specific sequence, electricity consumption costs are reduced by over 50%. This is because the blower only needs to run for usually less than 12 hours a day, unlike other powered plants that require a 24-hour operation.
  • This product has undergone testing and certification according to BS EN 12566-3. Furthermore, it complies with the Environment Agency General Binding Rules in England, as well as the Natural Resources Wales exemption criteria. Lastly, it can meet the majority of SEPA CAR license discharge requirements in Scotland.
  • A high-quality blower comes as standard and is exceptionally quiet and long-lasting.
  • Designed to accommodate different varying user capacities, ranging from 5 to 9 people in single tank systems and 8 to 18 people in two tank systems. Choose the capacity that best suits your needs.

WPL - Diamond

  • Tried and tested activated sludge process is trusted by municipal sewage treatment works and guarantees reliable performance.
  • Domestic properties can benefit from desludging intervals of up to three years.
  • Rigorously tested and certified to meet the standards of BS EN 12566-3. Additionally, it fully complies with the Environment Agency General Binding Rules in England as well as the exemption criteria set by Natural Resources Wales.
  • After undergoing treatment, the effluent is fit for discharge into waterways in England, Wales, and Scotland with an appropriate CAR license.
  • The price includes an external alarm beacon as a standard feature.
  • Made in the UK.

Klargester BioDisk

  • The treatment process involves using a primary settlement tank followed by rotating biological contactor discs with managed forward feed. This method ensures stable and reliable treatment performance.
  • Rigorously tested and certified to meet the standards of BS EN 12566-3. Additionally, it fully complies with the Environment Agency General Binding Rules in England as well as the exemption criteria set by Natural Resources Wales.
  • After undergoing treatment, the effluent is fit for discharge into waterways in England, Wales, and Scotland with an appropriate CAR license.
  • The motor is designed to operate with high efficiency while consuming minimal power.
  • Very quiet
  • This product comes with an integrated discharge pump.

BIOROCK

  • This sewage treatment plant package operates without electricity, thereby reducing operating costs.
  • Rigorously tested and certified to meet the standards of BS EN 12566-3. Additionally, it fully complies with the Environment Agency General Binding Rules in England as well as the exemption criteria set by Natural Resources Wales.
  • The trickling filter process employed has proven to be remarkably dependable with excellent test results for SEPA in Scotland.
  • After undergoing treatment, the effluent is fit for discharge into waterways in England, Wales, and Scotland with an appropriate CAR license.
  • Totally silent operation
  • The Monobloc design includes a primary settlement tank made of HDPE, which is then followed by an integrated filter.
  • Individual Biorock filter units can be installed following the existing septic tank (subject to survey).
  • Pumped discharge is also available (power supply required).

Septic Tanks for Domestic Use

Although everyone talks only about septic tanks, it’s just one half of a wastewater treatment system, the other half being the underground drainage field that follows it. The purpose of a septic tank is to hold incoming wastewater from a property long enough for solids to settle to the bottom or float to the surface and be stored until they can be collected and transported to a municipal sewage treatment works for further treatment. It is a simple watertight vessel that plays a critical role in the overall wastewater treatment process.

We offer a wide range of options in terms of shapes, sizes, and materials to suit your specific needs. If you require assistance in sizing a septic tank, don’t hesitate to contact us.

In England and Wales, the effluent that exits the septic tank, known as “primary treated effluent,” needs to be directed to a drainage field (or soakaway). However, in Scotland, the discharge of this effluent into a watercourse may be permitted, subject to assessment and approval by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

In England, the maximum amount of septic tank effluent that can be discharged through a drainage field without an Environment Agency permit is 2000 liters per day, which is approximately equivalent to the wastewater produced by 13 people per day. Scotland requires registration with or a permit from SEPA, while Wales mandates the registration of an exemption from permit application.

Domestic Drainage Fields

A drainage field, sometimes wrongly called a soakaway, comes after a septic tank or package sewage treatment plant. It has three main functions:

  1. It spreads the “partially clarified effluent” over a wide area
  2. To facilitate its infiltration into the ground
  3. At a rate the ground allows for without it becoming saturated, in order to treat the remaining pollutants in the partially clarified effluent through physical, chemical, and aerobic biological processes.

A treatment field is a more accurate term for a drainage field, as it serves as more than just a means of quickly disposing of partially clarified effluent from a septic tank.

Designing an effective and long-lasting treatment field is straightforward. There’s a British Standard Code of Practice – BS 6297:2007+A1:2008 Code of practice for the design and installation of drainage fields for use in wastewater treatment – This code covers all aspects of treatment field design and installation, including site evaluation, percolation testing, and construction methods. The size of the treatment field is determined by the flow rate of wastewater from the property served and the ground’s ability to accept it – its porosity – where the treatment is finished before it rejoins the groundwater.

Cleaning wastewater before it returns to groundwater is crucial because a substantial portion of our drinking water comes from underground aquifers. If these aquifers are contaminated, the water company must invest more in intensive treatment processes, which can increase costs for consumers like you. Additionally, the chemicals used in treatment can negatively impact the taste of the water, making it less desirable. Therefore, proper wastewater treatment is necessary to ensure the quality and affordability of your drinking water.

Pumping Stations for Domestic Use

In cases where gravity flow is not feasible, pump stations come in handy to transport raw sewage, treated effluent, and sometimes surface water from one location to another. For instance, a pump station could assist in the transportation of raw sewage from a newly-built single house to an uphill main sewer. It could also replace an old package sewage treatment plant serving a group of existing properties to a somewhat distant main sewer, which wasn’t within economic pumping range when the treatment plant was installed. Additionally, a pump station could be used to pump treated effluent from a septic tank to a remote drainage field or from a package sewage treatment plant to a remote discharge point on a stream or river.

A pump station package consists of a pre-made container, typically made of GRP or medium- or high-density polyethylene (MDPE or HDPE), with rails for the pumps to slide up and down, feet for the pumps to rest on, internal pipelines, control floats, and one or two pumps. It is referred to as a package pump station because all of these components, except for the pumps, are pre-installed at the factory, and the pumps are lowered into place on-site. The number of pumps included in the container is determined by what is being pumped, how far and how high it needs to go, the consequences of pump failure, and the level of backup service available. Unfortunately, these essential considerations are often overlooked due to budget constraints, but cost-cutting measures taken on pumping primary treated wastewater and raw sewage, in particular, are frequently proven to be ineffective.

As the owner or operator of a site, such as a house, hotel, or campsite, it is crucial that you take an active role in specifying the pump station. Do not solely rely on your contractor, builder, or architect to make the decision based on cost. Remember, any breakdown will directly affect you, so it is important to be involved in the selection process. 

We work with the industry-leading supplier Xylem, with both their Flygt and Lowara brands, and TT Pumps.

Reed Beds for Domestic Use

Reed beds and willow beds are extremely effective secondary or tertiary water treatment systems under many different conditions. Obviously environmentally-friendly and requiring relatively little maintenance, these systems can be used in a range of situations from single homes to large housing developments

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