Over the last couple of years Biotank Ltd. has been asked about approval for our tanks...  We even get Building Regs officers asking to see our approval certificates.  So...  Let us for once really set the cat amongst the pigeons and see what reaction we get:

There is currently NO approval or British Standard that applies to Domestic Sewage Treatment units.

Some companies have BBA approval for their Sewage Treatment Tanks but it is not a requirement.  There is no legal need to have BBA certification.

You will also see Sewage Treatment tanks stating that they are manufactured to BS6297:1983  Again, when you read the small print you find that this British Standard actually only applies to Septic Tanks and that Sewage Treatment tanks should "in principle" use the same guidelines.

Where does this now leave us.  Well European Regulations are being enacted...  BS EN 12566-1:2000 is now in force and makes all the British Standards such as BS6297 redundant.  It states that they should be withdrawn by July 2000.  It consists of 5 parts:

Part 1.  Prefabricated Septic Tanks

Part 2. (In preparation)  Soil Infiltration Systems  (Soakaways)

Part 3. Packaged and/or site assembled domestic wastewater treatment plants. 

Part 4. (In preparation) Septic tanks built in situ from prefabricated kits

Part 5. (In preparation) Filtration systems (including sand filters)

This is all fine and dandy but part 3, the one that our tanks would fall under, does not yet exist as it has yet to be ratified.  So currently there is no standard that applies to Domestic, less than or equal to 50 PE, sewage treatment systems.

This information was obtained by one of our directors, David Burt, spending a day at the Institution of Civil Engineers library and at the National Library.  Both were unable to find a current standard for our tanks.

If anyone knows differently please let us know!