Transcript Transfer of Sewers and the Drainage Hub

The Transfer of
Private Drains & Sewers
8th March 2012
James Warren
Technical Director, UKDP
Agenda
• Introduction – Who are UKDP?
• An overview of the transfer
• Which assets haven’t transferred?
• What are the challenges facing Environmental Health
Practitioners?
• The Drainage Hub
Who are UKDP?
• Pre transfer, UKDP worked under the ABI Drainage Forum ‘Protocol’,
facilitating domestic shared drainage projects
• Referrals from over 70 Councils across England and Wales
• UKDP is not a contractor and co-ordinated the various parties involved
as an alternative to formal enforcement action
An overview of the Transfer
On 1st October 2011, existing gravity sewers and lateral drains discharging to
public sewers transferred to Water & Sewerage Company (WaSC) ownership
Defra’s objectives were that this transfer would;
• End sources of disputes between neighbours
• Ensure that responsibility rests with a body resourced for repairs and which has
power to undertake them
• Solve the private sewer problem forever by ensuring all new sewers comply with
sensible construction standards and are adopted
• Set those standards nationally rather than each WaSC setting their own
Responsibility – Pre Transfer
Image courtesy of United Utilities
Responsibility – Post Transfer
Image courtesy of United Utilities
Which assets haven’t transferred?
• Pumping stations (to transfer by 1st October 2016)
• Sewers and lateral drains located beneath Crown Land
• Systems serving multiple properties within a single curtilage e.g.
Business Parks, Ports & airports, Railway land
• Systems subject to a successful appeal by it’s owners against transfer
• Self contained sewerage systems (septic tanks, cess pits etc.)
What are the challenges facing
Environmental Health Teams?
• Financial constraints on WaSCs often mean a reactive approach to
drainage issues
• Continued lack of clarity around legal powers to take action, where an
environmental health risk arises
• Self contained sewerage systems, often by their nature a more complex
issue
• Lack of cross industry communication – multiple parties involved in issue
resolution
www.thedrainagehub.co.uk
The Drainage Hub provides a secure
environment for individuals across all
sectors to connect, communicate and
work together effectively
The Hub’s unique “Hot Spot Manager”
has been designed to facilitate
collaboration amongst interested
parties, including Local Authorities by
hosting full details of the Hot Spot in a
universally accessible location
www.thedrainagehub.co.uk
• Create, view and maintain an easily
accessible Hot Spot Record
• Map Hotspots at post code and premise
level
• Upload supporting documentation in
multiple file formats
• Invite others to become a Hot Spot
contact
• Use each Hot Spot’s dedicated forum to
share thoughts, ideas and progress
www.thedrainagehub.co.uk
View and contribute to ongoing discussions, ask
questions, spark debate and share best practice in The
Drainage Hub forums.
• Public forums for general
discussion
• Dedicated private forums for
Local Authority members
• Hot Spot forums bring
interested parties together
www.thedrainagehub.co.uk
Connect to people you know, network and
invite colleagues and business partners to
join the Hub.
Using social networking technology, The
Drainage Hub helps users to develop
connections across all industry sectors
Locate and connect with colleagues,
business contacts or friends by name or
company
Communicate securely with your contacts
through The Hub’s messaging facility
www.thedrainagehub.co.uk
The regularly updated News section of The
Hub carries a selection of the latest stories
from across the industry
Thank you for your time
Any questions?