Polski
A large number of households, especially in scattered areas, still do not have access to a sewage system, despite its continued expansion. In this case, domestic treatment plants, which are cheaper to operate, become an alternative to the traditional septic tank. The great interest in the construction of domestic treatment plants is evidenced by the number of applicants to the program Domestic treatment plant, which was announced by the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Katowice. The call for applications began on April 2, 2024, and after just five days from that date, it was announced that due to overwhelming interest and exceeding the planned budget, it is being put on hold.
Domestic wastewater treatment plant
A domestic wastewater treatment plant is a set of equipment used to neutralize wastewater generated in a single house or a small grouping of houses.
A domestic treatment plant consists of a septic (primary) tank and a treatment system. Depending on the type of the latter, treatment plants are distinguished from:
- Drainage of infiltration;
- sand filter;
- plant bed (soil-plant filters, hydroponic beds);
- Biological bed (containerized treatment plant);
- Activated sludge (containerized treatment plant).
Depending on the filtration method, there are several different types of domestic wastewater treatment plants, including:
- Drainage (with an infiltration drain or sand filter);
- Biological (with activated sludge or biological filter);
- Vegetables.
According to information provided by the Central Statistical Office, the number of domestic sewage disposal systems in Poland at the end of 2020 was nearly 2.5 million units, of which 87.8 percent (2.1 million units) were for non-drainage tanks, and 12.2 percent (295,000 units) for domestic sewage treatment plants. The amount of liquid wastewater (domestic sewage) collected from non-drainage tanks during the entire year of 2020 was 40.9 dam3 of which in cities – 8.9 dam3 (21.7 percent of the total amount), and in rural areas – 32 dam3 (78.3 percent).
Home Treatment Plant Program
The purpose of the Domestic Treatment Plant program is to support activities that enable the management of social and domestic wastewater in areas where the construction of a collective sanitary sewer system is not currently in operation and is not expected within the next 5 years. Financial assistance is directed to individuals for the implementation of tasks involving the purchase and installation of domestic wastewater treatment plants with a capacity of no more than 7.5m3/d.
The program runs from 2023-2025, with a budget of PLN 4 million. The intensity and form of subsidy is a grant of up to 50 percent. Eligible costs of the task, but no more than 8 thousand. PLN.
Eligible costs for the construction and commissioning of a domestic treatment plant are considered to be costs associated with the implementation of the task, aimed at achieving the material and environmental effect, intended for:
- Purchase of materials and equipment necessary for the implementation of domestic wastewater treatment plants;
- execution of construction and installation works of a domestic sewage treatment plant with the cost of restoring the land to its original state, but without plantings.
Ineligible costs are considered to be:
- The cost of developing project documentation for the construction of domestic wastewater treatment plants;
- Costs of supervision and surveys, surveying and administrative fees, etc. related to the construction of a domestic wastewater treatment plant.
Domestic sewage treatment plant vs. water law notification
According to Polish law, the construction of a domestic wastewater treatment plant does not require a construction permit if its capacity does not exceed 7.5m3/d. However, it is necessary to declare the desire to establish such an installation. How to do it step by step we suggest in one of our previous issues.
Domestic wastewater treatment plant – key legislation
The legal act that regulates the conditions necessary to be met when discharging wastewater and rainwater and snowmelt into water or land is Decree of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Inland Navigation dated July 12, 2019. on substances particularly harmful to the aquatic environment and the conditions to be met when discharging wastewater into waters or into the ground, as well as when discharging rainwater or snowmelt into waters or into water facilities.
The location of a domestic wastewater treatment plant requires minimum distance conditions from other field facilities. They are defined by the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 12, 2002 on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location.
The location of the domestic sewage treatment plant on the plot is determined by Order of the Minister of Development and Technology dated April 15, 2022. On the announcement of the unified text of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location.
