Sewerage and drainage

Sewerage undertakers and sewerage systems deal with surface water and sewer effluent. This involves the laying of sewers, their maintenance and connections to them. It also involves dealing with the disposal of sewage and sewage treatment works. Highways drains and culverts are also connected to sewers and drains, as their run off can enter into the sewerage system.

Regulation of the sewerage system

The regulatory requirements for sewage disposal stem from the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC (UWWTD), which was implemented in England and Wales by the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994, SI 1994/2841 (1994 Regulations).

The general duty to provide a sewerage system is found in section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (WIA 1991). This general duty is supplemented by 1994 Regulations, SI 1994/2841, reg 4 which requires that ‘collecting systems’ are provided by specified dates and that urban waste water entering collecting systems is subject to treatment provided in accordance with regulation 5.

The 1994 Regulations set out the key objectives for managing urban waste water, including:

•
the provision of sewerage systems for populated areas

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