Education

Seminars, conferences, displays and literature all contribute to educating the public and developing closer links with industry.

To find out more keep an eye on our events/ latest news section for details of when and where our next educational event are taking place.

General guidelines to prevent pollution at home

The following general practices should be followed at home:

Oil Tanks/Boilers
 

• oil tanks should not be placed within 10 metres of a watercourse or borehole
• tanks and pipework should be kept in good condition
• pipes from tank to boiler should be kept as short as possible
• if pipes need to be buried -should be within a protective conduit
  

  Connections to sewer

Ensure that the correct connections have been made from your home to your sewer/s. Misconnections can cause pollution as storm sewers carry water straight to your local watercourse.

There are three main types of sewer:

• foul sewers (Transport sewage to a sewage works for treatment) - These should have toilets, washing machines, showers, wash hand basins, kitchen sinks and baths connected to them.
• storm Sewers (Transport water straight to the nearest stream - no treatment) - These should only have clean water connected to them, e.g. roof water, surface water gullies.
• combined sewers (Older systems - transport sewage and clean water to a sewage works - being phased out due to the overload caused by excess rainwater) - These can have any connection made to them.

It is also helpful to retain a map showing the direction of flow and type of sewer on your property as this can save valuable time if a pollution incident occurs.

General guidelines to prevent pollution at work

The following are some general practices, which should be observed in the industrial environment:

• bunding oil tanks properly
• storing chemicals in secure containment
• keeping storm water and foul drains separate
• colour coding manholes (blue for storm, red for foul)
• fitting oil separators on storm drains where necessary
• connecting vehicle effluent wash to foul sewer
• minimising waste production by reusing, recycling

  To minimise the effects of pollution at work

Have a Contingency Plan to deal with pollution incidents:

• list of essential numbers to ring: Emergency services, downstream abstractors.
• draw up a drainage plan showing: Local watercourse, foul sewer, storm drains.
• provide emergency containment: Absorbents, sand and soil, drain protectors.
• train staff in pollution prevention and the use of equipment
• test your plan frequently

General guidance on pollution prevention can be obtained from the Pollution Prevention Pays series of publications. Please contact us to order copies.