If your property isn’t connected to mains drainage, a sewage treatment plant is what we install as standard, whether discharge is to a watercourse or a soakaway.
We design and install package treatment plants for both domestic properties and commercial and industrial sites, built to current regulations, whether that’s a new system for a self-build, a larger system for a commercial premises or development, an upgrade from a non-compliant septic tank, or drainage for a site with no mains connection nearby.
Our fully certified and insured team can be on site within 24 hours for a free quote and survey. We predominantly cover Mid and North Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire, Herefordshire and the Midlands.
A sewage treatment plant (also called a package treatment plant) treats wastewater to a higher standard than a septic tank, using mechanical parts such as aerators and pumps to actively break down waste before it’s discharged. Because the effluent is treated to a higher standard, it can usually be released to a watercourse (a river, stream or ditch) rather than needing to go through a soakaway or drainage field first.
This makes treatment plants the right choice where ground conditions won’t support a soakaway, or where a site simply doesn’t have anywhere suitable for one. Where discharge is to ground, see our Soakaway & Drainage Field Installation page for more on that side of the system specifically.
We install sewage treatment plants across the full range of scale, from a single package plant for one home, up to larger commercial-scale systems for businesses, developments and multiple properties.
Domestic – a single household package plant, typically for a self-build, a rural property replacing an old septic tank, or a small development of a few properties sharing one system.
Commercial & industrial – larger-capacity systems sized for pubs, hotels, holiday parks, campsites, farms, industrial sites and developments, where wastewater volumes are significantly higher than a single household and the plant needs to be specified accordingly.
Whichever scale you need, sizing follows the same principle – matching the plant to actual usage, based on British Water’s Flows and Loads guidance. So a system that’s right for a single home is a very different specification from one serving a commercial site.
You may see “septic tank” used as the generic term for this kind of system. But a traditional septic tank just separating solids from liquid, relying entirely on the ground to deal with the rest, is largely superseded now. We install sewage treatment plants as standard for new systems, whether the discharge point ends up being a watercourse or a soakaway, since they treat wastewater to a higher standard and give more flexibility on sites where a soakaway alone might struggle.
Discharge to a watercourse specifically comes with its own rules. If your site meets the General Binding Rules, your plant should be able to discharge to a local watercourse without a separate permit. If they’re not met, for example, if the discharge point is too close to a well, spring or borehole, or within a groundwater source protection zone, you’ll need to apply to the relevant environmental regulator (Natural Resources Wales or the Environment Agency, depending on location) for consent to discharge before installation.
We assess this as part of our process and advise on the right route to compliance for your specific site, you don’t need to work out the regulatory detail yourself.
We work with self-builders installing a first system, homeowners upgrading a septic tank that no longer meets current rules, and developers needing drainage across a site with no mains connection and no suitable ground for a soakaway. If you’re buying or already own a property with a septic tank discharging to a stream, ditch or pond, it’s worth having the system assessed. Non-compliant discharge is a regulatory risk, and can also become a problem at the point of sale.
Treatment plants have mechanical parts, like aerators, pumps and blowers, that need regular servicing to keep working properly, alongside periodic desludging. See our Sewage Treatment Plant Servicing page for details, or ask us about setting up a scheduled maintenance plan alongside your installation.
We offer service plans for collection of liquid waste and maintenance of septic tanks so you can worry about other things. We can tailor these packages to suit your requirements and needs, and then it’s a set monthly fee.
Both, we install everything from a single household package plant to larger commercial-scale systems for pubs, hotels, holiday parks, farms and developments.
A traditional septic tank separates solids from liquid and relies entirely on the ground to further treat the liquid via a soakaway. A treatment plant actively treats the wastewater using mechanical parts, to a higher standard, which is why it’s now what we install as standard for new systems, whether discharge is to a watercourse or a soakaway, rather than a traditional septic tank.
If your system meets the General Binding Rules, you generally don’t need a separate permit. If it doesn’t — for example, due to proximity to a well or groundwater source protection zone, you’ll need consent to discharge from Natural Resources Wales or the Environment Agency before installation.
Yes, septic tanks haven’t been allowed to discharge directly to a watercourse since 2020. It needs upgrading to a sewage treatment plant, or the discharge diverted to a compliant soakaway if ground conditions allow.
Yes, the mechanical components (aerators, pumps) need electricity to operate, which is a key difference from a septic tank and something to plan for at the design stage.
Sizing follows British Water’s Flows and Loads guidance, based on the number of people or properties the system serves, and must match the manufacturer’s specification for the unit installed.
We predominantly cover Mid and North Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire, Herefordshire and the Midlands, but we provide our Sewage Treatment Plant Installation services on a national scale.
Get in touch for a free site survey and quote.
