What are the distances to respect from Septic tank to house in Northern Ireland?

A question we often get asked is “How far away does my septic tank need to be from my house?”

Something very important to consider when building your new home is where on your site you will place your wastewater treatment tank/septic tank. When it comes to individual sewage treatment systems, it could be difficult to understand the regulations imposed by your local authority. In order to guarantee the effluent quality, the bodies responsible for sewage treatment plant regulations in Northern Ireland (the NIEA) have listed the norms to respect for single dwellings.

As a potential future owner of a Tricel Novo 95%, Tricel Vitae 97.5% or a Tricel Vento, those rules apply to you and your housing. It is your responsibility to ensure that these distances are scrupulously executed for your sewage water. If not, you might expose yourself to sanctions from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

The picture below explains the distances to respect perfectly.  N.B. These distances are minimum distances.

Your wastewater treatment tank will need to be emptied once every 12 months.  NI Water also advise that “The service we provide is the removal of up to 4.5m3 (990 gallons) of sludge from the base of the tank, NOT a full empty.” After you book NI Water to desludge your wastewater treatment tank you will need to allow 12 working days for them to empty your septic/treatment tank.