We are presently staying in our tourer caravan on a farm, one of seven, with the site facilities and the facilities of several holiday cottages plus the farm itself, discharging into what I would guess is some sort of septic tank arrangment. Today I noticed the field below the tank was very boggy. The smell rather explained why it was boggy, as if this was over flowing.
Directly alongside the boggy area and running some way below it is a stream, which no doubt itself discharges into the sea about 1/4 mile below. Likely the tank was only designed for the farm's use alone.
So no doubt the tank contents makes its way into the stream. Should I be concerned?
Do you not think a non emotive but informative approach to the owner would be a nicer approach. He may not be aware of the problem, or overlooked having it pumped out this year. We have letting cottages, we have a private sewage system, but we do maintain it regularly and have a service contract on it, and have a licence to discharge into a stream in our grounds. If one of our guests had such a problem and instead on raising it with me, slunk off to the EA I'd consider it a low trick.
Not really - some of us probably watched too many TV programmes about disreputable people as automatically assumed the worst.
I accept Andrew's proposition that it could well be an oversight by a well meaning and ordinary landowner.
In my defence it could also be a negligent landowner who's done it several times before. We don't know for sure.
However, what made make take the hardline stance was leaking sewerage is a health hazard and potentially polluting the stream in an environment where the general public have access.
To put it in context, if I saw evidence of poor hygiene in a commercial kitchen or shop (say rodent droppings on the shelves or mouldy food waste under kitchen equipment or something that was clearly negligent) I WILL be straight onto the council because these businesses have a duty of care and should have processes for monitoring such things. I do not take kindly to acquiring diseases through wilful negligence or corner cutting.
The OP did say: "Likely the tank was only designed for the farm's use alone"
That's an assumption but I assume the OP who's there has a reason to believe it, but if that theory turns out to be true, it is wilful negligence and quite frankly completely unacceptable.
So no, Bill is wrong. Some of us don't delight in making trouble - but some of us are very intolerant of being put at risk by a business which doesn't look after its affairs.
I think a useful guideline is always in the first instance to treat people as you would wish to be treated yourself. If however you then get issues, use that pre-knowledge in forming further responses. After all that is what prejudice is - using prior knowledge to pre judge a situation.
The OP is on holiday, he may discuss the problem with the landowner and will be told that something will be done. How will he know that the problem has been sorted. The EA doesn't run around nicking people willy nilly, they are there to offer advice too.
Cess Pit - Sealed tank, shouldn't have any out flow, needs very regular emptying.
Septic Tank - Holds the waste and has anerobic digestion, does have out flow to a soak away/drainage field. Out flow isn't very pleasant but not raw sewage. Ought to be emptied every year to remove sludge.
Digester - Has a compressed air supply and driven stirrer. Aerobic digestion. Provided it's working out flow can be discharged into a water course. Sludge needs to be removed like a Septic Tank.
As to the OP's question. It's not very pleasant, but IMHO the risk is low. Just keep away from the boggy smelly bit. B-)
The EA won't like it at all and may well insist that the system is resized to cope. These days that will almost certainly mean installing a digester.
Really - and there was me think it was called experience. We all pre- judge situations, it's in our DNA and is one of the reasons why we have survived.
No, I doubt that would help or cause any action to result. There are numerous other deficiencies and in the past I have drawn attention to failings with nothing being done.
I think you have the answer - I personally *would* dump it on the EA with that past knowledge. But don't expect to be welcome there again, obviously...
It's a tricky one - I have little doubt that if Andrew's place had a problem, it would be an unexpected problem that would not merit the lead-boot approach.
But some people are just negligent and there's a rather large difference between a sign falling off and a poorly operated sewerage unit.
I'd be wondering what else was wrong - electrical hookup for your van - has it been maintained, is it safe, is the earthing correct, does the RCD work (if any) and so on...
This is always the elephant in the room, that IMHO is the most important issue. If *one* problem is found, what are the chances of there being more ?
I once had a delightful morning in a bank. They'd managed (no, I still have no idea) to print on a statement that I had paid in some cheques in Southampton, not (as the paying in stamp confirmed, Hounslow). When I pointed out the error, the assistant[1] tried to say that
(a) there can't possibly be a mistake [shows paying in book] (b) there is a mistake, but it doesn't matter.
At which point, I rather loudly asked if they had made one mistake I had found, how many more had they made that I hadn't. Yet. Of course having admitted to one mistake, they lost the "we don't make mistakes" halo.
[1] This was the early 90s when banks were trying to pretend this was the USA, and you sat down opposite a desk, rather than queue at a till. They stopped it soon after this incident, since it had the unintended consequence of ensuring all disputes were fully audible to the entire bank.
It's Bloomfield. When the driving groups were active barely a day passed without him reporting some incident or other that threatened his life. The blokes a lightning rod for trouble wherever he goes,his position ought to reported on telly after the weather and pollen count so others can avoid the Zone of misfortune.
p.s. I remember a telly prog in the 80s showing how a reed bed could be used to filter septic tank outflow to perfection. Maybe this is what's going on? Though TBH ('scuse my acronyms) the EA (oops, pardon) ought to confirm it.
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