Storm water drains

[Arty Flinders]

Hi, I bought a house near the top of a hill in a suburban part of Scotland to avoid being on the flood plain. Unfortunately several times a year I get streams of water washing my lawn away. I'm attempting to put in a storm water drain to connect up to the existing system, wherever that may be.

I dug out to find where the rainwater downpipe on the coresponding side of the house went to. It turns out that it connects into the piped sewage system, so I guess it's a probable no-no to connect there. I phoned the council hoping to get a look at some plans. The planning department put me onto building control. I was told that they don't do searches for plans in their archive and that there was no facility for me to do a search myself. Maybe I'm being fobbed off. Is this standard practice for Scottish Councils?

I checked with the mortgage company and they're going to let me look at the documents they've got but I don't think these will include details of the drains.

Any suggestions?

[Michael Mcneil]

What is the point of having plans.

Stick the effer in the the effing to serve them right for being effers.

And post this on UK.legal.

[Dave Liquorice]

Probably, a point to note is that some/all (english) waste water companies offer reduced bills if you don't put surface water into the foul water system.

I'd look at either just diverting the flow away safely at surface(*) level or building a proper soakaway for all the surface water.

(*) Maybe piped past your house then just flowing onto the surface lower down.

[Owain]

"Arty Flinders" wrote | I bought a house near the top of a hill in a suburban part of | Scotland to avoid being on the flood plain. Unfortunately | several times a year I get streams of water washing my lawn away. | I'm attempting to put in a storm water drain to connect up to the | existing system, wherever that may be.

As Dave suggests, all you really need to do is detour the water around the lawn and then let it run on its merry little way.

| Is this standard practice for Scottish Councils?

Incompetence? Quite possibly.

Sheriff describes council as "inept" ... "a bureaucratic nonsense"

[Arty Flinders]

I'd take this to mean that the practice is generally considered optional (in England at least), except that "waste water companies" would tend to be associated more with septic tank systems than the mains system used around these parts.

I appreciate your points. A neighbor already suggested a soakaway and this might be the method I resort to. There's nowhere on the surface that's suitable for the water to go. It would be much easier to just connect into an existing storm water drainage system though. While the rainwater downpipe does connect to the waste water system, there's a gully on the opposite corner of the house that does not, trouble is, it's on a higher level. A look at some plans might clarify the situation.

[Dave Liquorice]

Most properties probably use the foul system for some or all of their surface water. It's a fairly recent change to try and reduce the amount of surface water entering the foul system, I suspect it's down to the waste water companies possibly trying to avoid big fines from the EA when they have to dump raw sewage directly into water courses when the treatment plants can't cope or trying to reduce the spend on increasing treatment capacity.

I'm trying to make the distinction between water supply company and waste water company. The two do not have to be the same, in Bristol for instance you pay Bristol Water Company for supply and Wessex Water for disposal. Of course if you have your own disposal system you only pay for supply, paying for a pump out as and when.

[Arty Flinders]

Ideally perhaps but however merrily it makes it's way it won't detract from my neighbors dismay. :-)

I thought incompetence would be where I was allowed to look at the plans but they couldn't find them. This seems a little more modus operandi.

[Arty Flinders]

Thanks. I see what you mean.

[Arty Flinders]

Then again, perhaps modus operandi never made it beyond Adrian's Wall

[sid]

Not sure that plans of your house will help you as they will not have drainage details. Scottish Water are the best people to speak to for details of foul and storm drainage systems. Give them a ring. The people who do the actual work are very helpful. They will probably come out to have a look.

[sid]

Not sure that plans of your house will help you as they will not have drainage details. Scottish Water are the best people to speak to for details of foul and storm drainage systems. Give them a ring. The people who do the actual work are very helpful. They will probably come out to have a look.

[Arty Flinders]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give them a ring