Southern Water is seeking permission for the 7,500m2 treatment works, a new access, a pumping station and a lay-by as part of a First Time Sewerage scheme within the village.
The company is proposing a gravity system to connect properties to a new public sewer – households currently rely on private drainage systems.
The pumping station would comprise a below ground valve chamber and wet well containing duty/standby submersible pumps. A sewer would transfer flows from the pumping station to the treatment works.
A gravity system is Southern Water’s preferred engineering solution for the scheme. This system would minimise energy requirements, require less infrastructure and use reliable, tried and tested technology to achieve the required solution.
A public sewerage system for Three Oaks has been sought for nearly 20 years. Rother District Council applied to Southern Water in 1996 to provide a public sewerage system but that was rejected two years later. Southern Water’s re-assessment in 2005 confirmed its earlier decision.
However, the district council lodged a dispute with the Environment Agency, which concluded a public sewerage system should be constructed to address the risk of pollution. As a result, Southern Water is legally obliged to provide such a system.
A version of this story first appeared on wwtonline.