Harbourmasters building - River Rothe

The Harbourmasters building and adjacent cottages are situated at the side of the River Rother in East Sussex just outside the town of Rye and are owned and operated by The Environment Agency. This part of the river has been designated a ‘Site of Specific Scientific Interest’ (SSSI) which means it has been deemed one of the country’s very best wildlife.

For historic reasons wastewater from the Harbourmaster’s office and the two 3 bedroom cottages discharged into two septic tanks located onsite which in-turn led to a soak-away. The septic tanks had been installed some decades previous and the site’s owners. The Environment Agency were keen to ensure absolute protection of the surrounding environment.

Following a site assessment a proposal was submitted to The Environment Agency to install a packaged sewage treatment plant (for off mains drainage) sized to the flow-levels of the site. The risk of potentially polluting the SSSI site has been allayed with a solution that protects the environment and overcomes the problems associated with exceptionally high tides.

The exact specification chosen was the Diamond DMS4 (15pe) sewage treatment plant with a discharge to a new soakaway. The treatment plant was to incorporate an integral final effluent pump which would discharge to a new soakaway on slightly higher ground thus preventing the backing up of the drains in the event of high water in the harbour.

The install was successfully conducted over a 7 day period, on time and budget.