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Septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants

The requirement to register small domestic sewage discharges from septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants, has changed in England.

The requirement to register was a result of regulations made in 2010 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Government, as part of the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive. Registration was considered to provide the lightest touch approach to meet legal obligations.

However, we are now undertaking a joint review with Government on the requirement to register small domestic sewage discharges in England, details of which will be announced in the next few weeks.   

While the review is underway, we will not require the registration of small domestic sewage discharges, including septic tanks, in England - although householders can still register if they wish. If you would still like to register a small domestic sewage discharge please visit this page:

Our regulatory position statements explain how we will regulate small sewage discharges during the review:

The Welsh Government has advised that septic tanks and small sewage treatment plant discharges in Wales will still need to be registered.  We are encouraging people to register as soon as possible but we will continue to accept registrations until 30 June 2012.

You can read more about the requirements in Wales and how to register on this web page: