O’Reilly Oakstown installed our Oil/Water Separator under the new control tower at Dublin Airport this week. This system is a 6 litre per second class 1 full retention Oil/Water Separator.

Our high-efficiency coalescence Oil Separators are fitted to surface water drainage systems for protection of the environment from oil pollution. They conform to the European standard EN 858 for the design and use of prefabricated oil separators. All separators fulfil European standards achieving results of oil removal much lower than 5 mg/L.

We offer a number of types of Separators:

  • Full Retention Separators
  • Bypass Separators
  • Forecourt Separators
  • Others – Washdown Separators, Silt Traps

See More on our Oil Water Separators Here > 

 

 

 

Over a quarter of waste water systems inspected last year ‘posed risk to human health’.

The EPA’s annual report shows that half of all septic tanks in Ireland (1,160) failed inspection last year.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Inspection Plan for 2019 found that 26% of systems were a risk to human health or our environment with a further 51% of systems failing altogether.

In addition, 73% of failed systems between 2013 – 2016 were fixed but the EPA has warned that greater engagement is needed by Local Authorities in Ireland.

Local Authorities identified more serious issues with nearly 300 systems where they were found to be a risk to human health or the environment, the EPA said, with 27% of systems inspected since 2013 still not fixed.

“While there has been progress, the failure to resolve older cases remains a concern and must be addressed as priority, the EPA said in a statement today.

Domestic waste water treatment systems are used by rural householders to treat sewage with nearly half a million systems in Ireland. Most of these (90%) are septic tanks.

Today’s findings show that half of all septic tanks (1,160) failed inspection last year. A lack of maintenance and desludging was identified as a key issue at domestic systems, according to the EPA.

Commenting on today’s report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “If you do not maintain your septic tank, it can contaminate your own or your neighbour’s well, putting your health at risk and that of your family and neighbours.

“It may also pollute your local stream or river,” said Ryan. “You can take simple steps to maintain your septic tank by cleaning it out regularly and by making sure it is not leaking, ponding or discharging to ditches.”

The above article was written by Cónal Thomas and posted on The Journal.ie 22/07/20

We are delighted to have worked with our client, a wedding venue in Co Meath, where we installed a Super BAF system.

Our client needed a wastewater treatment system that is going to stand the test of time. As an award winning wedding venue they don’t want to be replacing their tank in a few years & with our maintenance contracts we can ensure the system is running smoothly and checked regularly by our team of technicians.

Minister Murphy announces new three-year investment programme for water services in rural areas

Mr. Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government today, Friday 8 February 2019, announced a new investment programme for water services in rural areas.  The Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme is to run from 2019 to 2021.

The announcement follows the review the Minister put in place to examine the wider investment needs relating to rural water services.  In 2018 the Minister appointed a high level Working Group which has now made recommendations for changes and improvements, which the Minister has accepted.

Key features of the Programme include:

  • Significant capital investment to support Group Water Schemes in rural areas.
  • A new grant measure to support rural communities to link to the public drinking water and waste water network.
  • The maximum grant for refurbishment works to a domestic well will increase from €2,031 to €3,000.  A new and additional provision is included for a maximum grant of €5,000 where a new well is required as an exceptional measure.
  • The means test to qualify for a grant to carry out improvement works on a septic tank is being abolished and the maximum grant is being increased to €5,000.  Currently, the maximum grant amounts available are €2,500 and €4,000 depending on the applicant’s means. Eligibility for the grant scheme is also being extended. Read full article here

O’Reilly Oakstown provide a range of Septic Tanks and Sewage Treatment Systems in all parts of  rural Ireland. Call us on 046 943 1389 or email us today to see how we can help you



SEE ALSO:

Septic Tank Upgrades 

6 Person Wastewater Treatment

8 Person BAF Sewage Treatment System 

O’Reilly Oakstown are pleased to be associated with Belvelly Tower House which was featured in RTE’s Great House Revival last Sunday Night

O’Reilly Oakstown Environmental installed a wastewater treatment system for the castle during the course of the build.The transformation of the 800 year old building was a credit to all involved in it’s restoration.

Peter Varley discusses the options available for upgrading existing sewage treatment systems and installing new ones.

Original Article appeared in Irish Farmers Journal on 04 Jul 2018

The fine weather offers an ideal opportunity to carry out works with faulty septic tanks and sewage treatment systems. Every homeowner with a private sewage treatment system is obliged to make sure their system is installed, operated and maintained in a way that makes sure it does not pose a risk to human health and the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), around 500,000 households in Ireland have a wastewater system that includes septic tanks and packaged systems.

Sewage treatment in one-off houses in rural Ireland traditionally consisted of a septic tank and gravel percolation area. The septic tank is the primary treatment area where primary separation of solid waste (sludge) within the water occurs.

Secondary treatment of wastewater is used to further purify wastewater. This is usually carried out using gravel percolation beds where the soil is expected to do the remaining 70% of sewage treatment. However, more modern systems have special secondary treatment systems that aerate the wastewater and mix it with a solution of microorganisms. Territory wastewater treatment involves removing phosphates and nitrates from the water supply. In Ireland, filtration systems are used to achieve this using peat beds, shredded coconut husks or sand filtration.

Existing tanks need to be maintained and checked often for blockages, ponding, odours, noises and sewage in nearby ditches and streams. Routine maintenance also needs to be carried out.

Improving existing tanks

Diarmuid O'ReillyDiarmuid O’Reilly, managing director of O’Reilly Oakstown, a wastewater treatment company based in Trim, Co Meath, says many of the sewage treatment systems in rural areas are not performing as they should.

“Some systems are leaking, while the design of others is not appropriate for the area it is situated,” Diarmuid explains. There is a grant available to upgrade existing tanks but this is inaccessible for the majority of homeowners.

Householders who registered their system by the prescribed date of 1 February 2013 may be eligible for this grant aid to repair or upgrade their system. However, to avail of the grant, you first have to fail a council inspection.

The number of inspections carried out have been very low to date per county. If you upgrade your system without a grant you should be familiar with the requirements of the legislation and your obligations as an owner.

Planning permission may be required if you are upgrading an existing sewage treatment system or installing a new one. The EPA advises to firstly check with your planning authority on whether planning permission was granted for your existing system including the type and location of system.

Where remediation is required, the EPA recommends that the homeowner procures the services of a competent wastewater professional.

Possible solutions

Sometimes, it may be possible to fix a tank by fixing the T-bend where the waste enters the primary tank.

A properly functioning T-bend slows down the rate of movement of solids into the tank, reducing the splash effect in the tank so that a scum layer can form creating anaerobic conditions for waste water treatment. Many existing systems are not working efficiently because percolation areas are too low and have no soakage (Figure 1).


Diarmuid says there are two common solutions to improve the performance of existing septic tanks. One solution involves installing a new 750-litre pump chamber and distribution box so that treated water can be pumped to a percolation area where soakage is better (Figure 2)

.


This pump chamber costs €1,150 including VAT. The other solution involves installing a bespoke secondary treatment system with an aeration system to improve the treatment process and further purify wastewater. There are many different types of secondary sewage treatment systems.

In Oakstown, they use a three-chamber secondary treatment process to digest, clarify and then pump the water from the two primary chambers. In the bioreactors, aerobic bacteria are cultured on durable netted plastic biomedia. This gives the microbes adequate surface to attach to while air is blown through the tubes from a low-watt blower sitting on top of the tank.

The air enters the tubes from the bottom of the tank and diffuses into millions of tiny bubbles, allowing the aerobic bacteria to thrive.

The inclusion of both air and grey water activates the bacteria to work on, further breaking down the sewage via aerobic digestion, and making it less harmful to the environment.

The second chamber acts as a clarifier to periodically remove any solids which may get to that stage. The final chamber is the discharge area. Here, a water pump moves treated sewage from the system to the percolation area. Diarmuid says up to 99% of the sewage treatment efficiency can be achieved after it goes through the combination of primary and secondary treatment. This secondary treatment tank costs €3,050 including VAT.

New tanks

If installing a new system for a new dwelling house or an existing home, Diarmuid says a soil engineer should be consulted before any decision or system choice is made. A soil engineer will assess the site and recommend what type of treatment system is necessary.

A site assessment will determine whether a particular site can achieve the safe dispersal of wastewater from a development. Diarmuid says soil engineers carry out T-tests and P-tests. Very good soils that are efficient at treating grey water in a percolation area will typically have a T-test result of five to 20.

Extremely free-draining soils with a T-test result under five are likely to require a secondary treatment system because partially treated sewage may make its way directly into groundwater or wells too easily.

On the other hand, wetter soils with a T-test over 20 would also be more likely to require secondary sewage treatment because in time there may be a risk of clogging in average to poor soils. As a rule of thumb, to calculate the size of the septic tank required, multiply the number of people in the house by 150 litres (as a person uses 150 litres/day) and add 2,000 litres. For example, a six-person house is (6 x 150) + 2,000 = 2,900 litres. Diarmuid says they have a combined primary and secondary treatment system designed to cater for a six-person household which costs €3,600 including VAT.

Desludging tanks

Routine maintenance of tanks mainly involves desludging. All of the wastewaters from your home go into your system. The sludge is a buildup of all solids. The sludge must not build up too much or your system will stop working properly.

According to the EPA, if the sludge is not removed, it can block the pipes in your percolation area. If this happens it is very difficult to clean and may require replacement.

It could also cause a risk to human health and the environment.

The sludge should be removed from the tank when it takes up more than half of the liquid depth in the tank or at least every five years.

A minimum of 75mm of sludge should remain in the tank as it contains billions of the good microbes necessary to help breakdown the new solids. Use a permitted waste contractor and keep your receipt.

How to ensure your sewage treatment system continues to work correctly:

Do’s

Desludge your septic tank every four to five years, a crust forming in the second chamber is a tell-tale sign it needs desludging. If drains leading from your house are backing up, it points to a possible full tank and perhaps issues with the percolation area.

Check that the air vent from the sewer pipe is unobstructed and is sufficiently high above the house to disperse odours away from the house.

Keep inspection lids on at all times and only open when necessary.

Ensure that the electrics are well above any potential flooding in the garden.

Fit alarms to alert you if any electronic component of a sewage treatment system is not functioning correctly.

Don’ts

Don’t flush wipes, cooking oil, panty liners, hair, sanitary towels, etc, down the toilet because they can cause blockages.

Don’t overuse disinfectants and bleaches down the toilet because they can kill the bacteria in the sewage treatment system that are essential for the breakdown of effluent.

Don’t allow waste food from food macerators into the system as the biological oxygen demand (BOD) resulting from this far exceeds that of normal waste.

Don’t allow vehicles or farm machinery to cross lids.

We are delighted to add Ecoflo Tertiary Treatment Filter – domestic and commercial applications – to our range of products.

Highest Performing
A reliable wastewater treatment system well adapted to all site conditions. Proven performances surpassing the strictest standards.
Sustainable
A permanent and ecological solution – no energy needed for the treatment. Pre-assembled, easy-to-handle units to ensure quality installations and less surplus material transported to sites.
Compact
Minimal final footprint – ideal when the available area for the installation is limited or if separation distances must be reduced.
Low-Cost
Delivered ready to be installed to minimize civil works and eliminate construction on site. No excavation or relocation at the end of the life cycle of the filtering media (up to 15 years).

Complies with the ePa Code of Practice 2009

Example of applications include:

  • Residential, domestic properties
  • Rental or Holiday homes
  • New housing developments
  • Existing systems with issues
  • Areas of sensitive surroundings

Ecoflow

Find out more about what we do!

The O’Reilly Concrete Group are one of the largest Precast Concrete manufacturers in Ireland and the UK. Take a few moments to watch our newly released video which gives a great overview of our company, and find out what makes us unique. Wholly owned and manufactured by the O’Reilly family, through 3 generations, we work from a total of 6 Manufacturing Plants and we continue to expand our critical customer base through two key drivers – Innovation and Outstanding Customer Service.

What is the Cost of Installing New Sewage Treatment Systems?

The cost of a Oakstown sewage, or wastewater treatment system, depends on which system you require. Oakstown Environmental manufacture both pumped and gravity discharge systems.

We can supply a 6PE Sewage Treatment System, ideal for most domestic homes, including pump for €3,800 ex-vat and the gravity system for €3,650 ex vat all systems delivered to site.

We also supply a larger 8PE Sewage treatment System, see more here.

Our PE6 system is supplied with concrete risers to maximum height of 900mm, up to 50 meters of 7 core SWA cable, control panel, air blower, water pump (depending on system) and a two-year guarantee on all components.

Cost of Installing a new Septic Tank

If you wish to install a new septic tank, our cost starts from €1150 + vat – read more on septic tanks here.

Why use a sewage treatment system/wastewater treatment system and not a septic tank?

The Oakstown wastewater treatment system provides treatment of all wastewater from the dwelling, whereas a septic tank simply separates it.

This means that the wastewater that leaves the treatment system is cleaner than what leaves a septic tank and it’s certainly a lot more environmentally friendly.

What maintenance is involved in a BAF Sewage Treatment System?

The Oakstown BAF wastewater treatment system should be desludged every 3 to 5 years depending on usage and serviced every 12 months.

When our technicians call out to service a system they will spend on average 45-75 minutes on site, completing a full digital service report for your system.

Some of the checks made are Forward blower pressure, Back pressure of the Air system, Dissolved Oxygen reading of treatment chamber, PH level of water in discharge chamber, all electrical items tested or repaired.

All alarms on system checked for operation. Details of any issues or need for desludging reported to customer.

All products by oakstown demonstrated by tanks on this lorry

—  Original Article  —

O’Reilly Oakstown Environmental talks about the cost of installing new sewage treatment systems

After flooding a few years ago in 2016, it has become apparent that many septic tanks in rural areas are not working efficiently and may need upgrading. A septic tank is traditionally used for the primary treatment of sewage from most rural houses. Many older houses will only have a septic tank and some form of percolation area for sewage treatment but this is not always sufficient for treating sewage.

“In the septic tank the sludge settles, while the crust floats and the liquid or grey water moves on to the percolation area. Over 99.5% of all solids should be retained in the tank,” explained Diarmuid of O’Reilly Oakstown.

Sewage treatment takes place here via anaerobic digestion, generally breaking down the effluent by 30%. Typically, in older systems the grey water (partially treated sewage) goes to the percolation area where the soil is expected to do the remaining 70% of sewage treatment.

How the system should work

Many Irish soils are unsuitable to carry out this level of sewage treatment and secondary treatment is usually required.

A secondary treatment system takes the partially digested water and feeds it to bacteria that break it down further.

There are many different types of secondary sewage treatment systems.

In Oakstown we use a three-chamber secondary treatment process to digest, clarify and then pump the water from the two primary chambers. In the bioreactors aerobic bacteria are cultured on durable netted plastic biomedia. This gives the microbes adequate surface to attach to while air is blown through the tubes from a low-watt blower sitting on top of the tank.

The air enters the tubes from the bottom of the tank and diffuses into millions of tiny bubbles, allowing the aerobic bacteria to thrive.

The inclusion of both air and grey water activates the bacteria to work on further breaking down the sewage via aerobic digestion, and making it less harmful to the environment.

The second chamber acts as a clarifier to periodically remove any solids which may get to that stage. The final chamber is the discharge area. Here a water pump moves treated sewage from the system to the percolation area. Up 99% of the sewage treatment efficiency can be achieved after it goes through the combination of primary and secondary treatment.

Repairing an existing system

The main signs that a sewage treatment system is not functioning properly is water backing up in sewers and ponding around the percolation area. Sometimes it may be possible to fix a tank by fixing the T-bend where the waste enters the primary tank.

A properly functioning T-bend slows down the rate of movement of solids into the tank, reducing the splash effect in the tank so that a scum layer can form creating anaerobic conditions for waste water treatment.

Baby wipes should never be let into a tank because they cannot be broken down and cause blockages.

However, many old sewage treatment systems are beyond repair and are not fit for purpose. Some older tanks have structural cracks or the percolation system no longer works efficiently. Diarmuid believes these systems should be upgraded. Certainly, both septic tanks and sewage treatment systems should be desludged regularly.

Installing a new system

Planning permission is required when installing a new system but this is on the basis of a report from a soil engineer who will assess the site and recommend what type of treatment system is necessary.

A site assessment will determine whether or not a particular site can achieve the safe dispersal of wastewater from a development. Diarmuid says soil engineers carry out T-tests and P-tests. Very good soils that are efficient at treating grey water in a percolation area will typically have a T-test result of five to 20.

Extremely free-draining soils with a T-test result under five would likely require a secondary treatment system because partially treated sewage may make its way directly into groundwater or wells too easily.

On the other hand, wetter soils with a T-test over 20 would also be more likely to require secondary sewage treatment because in time there may be a risk of clogging in average to poor soils.

Cost of Installing New Sewage Treatment Systems

Cost of Installing New Sewage Treatment Systems – [Updated 2022]

The cost of installing new sewage treatment systems depends on which system you require. Oakstown Environmental manufacturer both pumped and gravity discharge systems. We can supply a PE6 including pump for €3,800 ex-vat and the gravity system for €3,650 ex vat all systems delivered to site.

Our PE6 system is supplied with concrete risers to maximum height of 900mm, up to 50 meters of 7 core SWA cable, control panel, air blower, water pump (depending on system) and a two-year guarantee on all components.

Contact us here to find out about installing new sewage treatment systems and finance options available

Grant Aid 

There are currently 3 grant systems to help witn the cost of installing new sewage treatment systems, which we explain in more detail on this link.

  1. Under the NIP (National Inspection Plan), Septic tank grants can be used to fix septic tank systems that fail inspection by a Local Authority. They may need remediation, repair, upgrading or replacement.
    85% of the eligible costs of remediation, repair or upgrading works, or replacement of any such system or €5,000, whichever is the lower.
  2. Prioritised Areas for Action, ie that are or may be causing harm to the environment and need remediation, repair, upgrading or replacement.
    The house must be located in a PAA in accordance with the River Basin Management Plan.  85% of the approved cost of the works subject to a maximum of €5,000. The minimum expenditure on eligible works required to process the application is €750.
  3. There is also High Status Catchment Area – to find out of your house in in the catchment area click here and follow the map instructions

 

(Original article By Peter Varley Farmers Journal)

Get Advice or a Quotation Today

Water charges may have been shelved for now but there are still many farmers involved in local water schemes where water charges remain high.

For farmers involved on local water schemes, installing a rainwater harvesting system is a viable option to reduce water bills. It would be preferable to install a system that would provide potable water that can be used as drinking water for livestock and for washing out milking parlours. However, simply installing a tank that is used to collect water that can then be used to wash out slatted sheds etc, could help reduce your water bill.

Organic capital investment scheme

TAMS II offers grant aid to organic farmers for rainwater harvesting systems under the Organics Capital Investment Scheme to improve their agricultural buildings and equipment. The scheme offers 40% grant funding or 60% for young farmers, up to a ceiling of €80,000 per holding. The minimum amount of investment required to avail of grant aid is €2,000. This scheme is only open to licensed organic operators who are registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

A rainwater harvesting system comprises of collection, filtering and storage of rainwater while the further treatment of collected rainwater is optional. The basic requirements for any rainwater treatment system is well-maintained, clean gutters directing the rainwater to a suitably sized and constructed holding tank from where the water is then distributed.

The components of a rainwater harvesting system are:

  • Roofed area to collect rainwater.
  • Clean gutters to collect rainwater from a roof.
  • Rainwater downpipes in good condition.
  • Filter to remove debris from rainwater.
  • Covered drains to direct rainwater from gutters to storage tank, where required.
  • Sump tank and sump pump where required.
  • Rainwater storage tank with calmed inlet and overflow.

Only rainwater from roofs of buildings is permitted to be collected for harvesting if you wish to avail of grant aid. This water must be further treated if it is to be used as drinking water for livestock or irrigation of horticultural crops. It must also be treated if it is to be used to wash milking parlours as this water needs to be of potable standard.

Tanks can be situated either above or below ground, but must be covered with a solid cover that prevents the ingress of any dirt into the tank. Floating covers are not permitted. All tanks must also be fitted with a proprietary calmed inlet to prevent the disturbance of any sediment at the bottom of the tank. It is important that the system is set up to avoid stagnation by ensuring that pipe work connections allow the flow of water through the tanks.

All tanks must be fitted with an overflow outlet attached to a suitable clean water drainage system to allow water to discharge during storm events.

When deciding on what size tank you wish to install, it is important that it has sufficient capacity to hold between a minimum of seven days’ and a maximum of 18 days’ rainfall from the collection area. The capacity is based on the average rainfall for the location of the tank, the size of the collection area and the demand on the harvested water. Exact rainfall figures for any location can be obtained directly from Met Éireann.

Water treatment

Treatment of the collected rainwater is optional. However, it should be noted that unless the rainwater us treated it will not be of potable standard. As such, this means it cannot be used for washing bulk tanks or milking machines on a dairy farm. It can also not be used for feeding to lactating dairy cows. All rainwater harvesting systems must have filters installed to filter any debris from the rainwater before it enters the rainwater storage tank. They must also be proprietary self-cleaning filters, with the use of homemade filters not permitted.

Costs

The costs of a rainwater harvesting system can vary greatly. Contact O’Reilly Oakstown today to find out what the cost of your system would be.

Article By William Conlon of Farmers Journal on 07 July 2016

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Engagement Strategy under the National Inspection Plan: Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems
The EPA have just launched a new website Catchments.ie which will make it easier for people to get information about the quality of their local river, lake, estuary or the hidden waters below ground. It will also provide information about what people can do to help protect their local water catchment. Catchments.ie allows easier public access to water-related environmental data that has been gathered by the EPA and other bodies, with maps pages and nearly 5000 dynamically generated pages of data that will be updated regularly, including long term trends for many waterbodies. The site will also have stories from local communities around the country. The resource is the culmination of extensive collaboration between the EPA, local authorities and other organisations in compiling key datasets. Read Full Press Release Here.

Catchments.ie are currently running a survey on Septic Tanks and how you relate to your local catchment.

They would like to use the results of this survey to improve communication with local communities, specifically on the possible health and environmental risk from malfunctioning septic tank systems. Please help out by completing the survey on this link  or clicking the button above.

 

Ear to the Ground with O’Reilly Oakstown demonstrating how a Septic Tank Upgrade is installed.

O’Reilly Oakstown manufacture the BAF Sewage Treatment System, Septic Tanks, Oil Water Separators, Rainwater Harvesting and Oil Theft Solutions. They are an award winning company providing Environmentally Friendly Sewage and Water treatment Products