Is this the end of Private Sewers?
On 23rd February the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the responsibility for private sewers is to be transferred to the nine Water and Sewerage Companies in England. A similar announcement was made by Environment Minister Carwyn Jones for the Welsh Assembly Government. This should be welcomed – but what does it mean to the ten Water and Sewerage companies and the general public?
This announcement will create a lot of work for the Water and Sewerage Companies as the condition and location of pipes will often not be known. The Government will publish a consultation shortly inviting views on a range of options for implementing the transfer. As the time taken to implement transfer is dependent on the option chosen, guidance is to be issued, in the meantime by, the Department for Communities and Local Government on the existing ownership arrangements and responsibilities that will continue to stand until transfer takes place.
Householders are responsible for the lateral drain, which is the drain from their boundary to the main sewer in the road. Many also share responsibility for private sewers often because they were not built to the water companies' standards. “Most people have no idea that they are responsible for the lateral drain still less any private sewers. Why should some people have to pay for a repair of the sewer that serves their property when others do not?” comments Nick Orman, Senior Consultant at WRc.
WRc have been contracted by UKWIR – the water industry research organisation - to investigate and improve estimations of how many private sewers there are in England and Wales.
WRc have also been appointed by the Department for Communities and Local Government to produce its guidance to inform Local Authorities and the public on their current responsibilities.
The UKWIR contract builds on earlier modelling work by WRc for UKWIR in 2002 and 2004. UKWIR has asked WRc to enhance the earlier model to produce more accurate estimates of the length of sewers and lateral drains and the likely costs of take-over. WRc will also be focussing on a number of issues including: large areas of private drainage; areas where the surface water and foul water are separated; and those sewers that discharge to watercourses.
The work will also draw on WRc's experience in carrying out more detailed work for eight of the ten Water and Sewerage Companies to customise the national model to produce estimates of the length and cost of taking over private sewers and lateral drains within their individual sewerage areas.
