A BRE Digest 365 test is carried out to determine the volume required for a rainwater or stormwater soakaway. In Ireland now, a lot of the County Councils require a BRE Digest 365 test to be carried and submitted with your PLANNING APPLICATION. 

In recent years, soakaways have been used within urban, fully-sewered areas to limit the impact on discharge of new upstream building works and to avoid costs of sewer upgrading outside a development. Soakaways are seen increasingly as a more widely APPLICABLE option alongside other means of stormwater control and disposal. Soakaways must store the immediate stormwater run-off and ALLOW for its efficient infiltration into the adjacent soil. They must discharge their stored water sufficiently quickly to provide the necessary capacity to receive run-off from a subsequent storm. 

The time taken for discharge depends upon the soakaway shape and size, and the surrounding soil’s infiltration characteristics. They can be constructed in many different forms and from a range of materials.

Traynor Environmental Ltd can carry out all soak away tests to BRE Digest 365.

BRE365 Soak away Testing and Design

Retention/Attenuation Tank Design

Local authorities may require a storm water management strategy as part of the planning application:

on all larger developments, residential or commercial

on smaller developments where there is a potential threat to watercourses

Public storm-water resources are typically designed only to handle existing ‘greenfield’ conditions, where prolonged rainfall discharges mostly through the ground and the rest is carried off by the drains.

New developments replace fields with impervious areas like roofs, roads, and carparks. If not contained and managed, the water from these will run off the site – and carry contaminants with it. The result can include overloaded drains, pollution, traffic danger, and road damage through erosion. Because of these potential hazards, a storm-water strategy may be required as part of your planning application.

Under BRE Digest 365 procedures (the method recognised by local authorities), Traynor Environmental Ltd

assess the site, calculating existing and proposed hard-standing area and potential impact on receiving watercourses

using test-holes, evaluate the infiltration rate of the subsoils

Design a suitable strategy to contain and manage stormwater.

The appropriate solution may include trench containment (through which stormwater will gradually recede to groundwater), or attenuation tanks which incorporate a means for releasing water at an appropriate rate over time. Our recommendation will not be tied to a commercial interest in one solution over another – our commitment is to find the most cost-effective solution for you.

SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems)

Several local authorities have recently introduced new policies regarding drainage. The policies include a commitment to the use of SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) which are now required on all new developments both public and private. The use of SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) is now compulsory in the Dublin Region and this is spreading to other parts of the country. SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) bring enormous benefits in terms of stormwater control, prevention of flooding, removal of pollutants and provision of amenities to local communities. It is unlikely that the water quality requirements of the EU’s Water Framework Directive can be met without greatly increased use of SuDS systems. SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) will bring benefits to developers as well as to the public. Now that the need for stormwater control is accepted, these techniques can be adopted at little or no additional cost. SuDS need to be incorporated at the planning and design stage of a development rather than being included as an afterthought. SuDS offer developers more tools for meeting their stormwater control obligations in a way that can also enhance the quality of developments. Public awareness is also an important factor in ensuring the successful implementation of sustainable drainage practices. We can use the BRE Digest 365 testing model to design a SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) for you project.