When Do You Need a Soakaway?

To try and ensure water is dispersed into the ground evenly and quickly you must consider the use of a soakaway in all cases. You must use a soakaway if design criteria can be met. Discharging stormwater into a drain will only be allowed if soakaways or other infiltration methods are not suitable.

Why do you need a soakaway?

The purpose of a soakaway is to discharge and percolate the water coming through it back into the surrounding soil. In the case of a rainwater soakaway, this is to prevent the greater volume of water from bad weather (also called runoff or storm water) entering the main sewer system and overwhelming it.

How far does a soakaway need to be from a house?

The key elements of the Part H rules are that the soakaway must by 5 meters from a building or road. The soakaway must be 2.5 meters from the boundary. The soakaway must not be in an area of unstable ground or where the lowest point of the soakaway meets the water table at any point of the year.