Private Water and Wastewater
Well owners should regularly have the quality of drinking water tested. It is not sufficient to simply smell or taste the water to determine if well water is suitable for drinking.
Private well
Owners of private wells are responsible for maintaining the well and having drinking water tested. Well water is affected by usage and seasonal conditions.
Today almost all new wells are deep, drilled wells, but there are also shallow hand-dug wells that remain in use. Risk of contamination is significantly greater in shallower wells, meaning that it is even more important that these are correctly maintained and the water tested regularly.
Well owners should have drinking water tested regularly because water quality can change over time due to a range of factors. Many well owners only have water tested when they notice changes in the taste, color or smell of the water.
Water quality may be compromised without you noticing. For this reason the Swedish Food Agency recommends having drinking water tested at least every three years. If you have had problems with your well water in the past you should have the water tested more often.
If more than two properties are served by the same water source, well water should be tested at least once a year.
A water test checks if water contains bacteria or other microorganisms and whether the chemical properties of the water make it suitable for drinking. We recommend that you use an accredited laboratory for analyses of your drinking water.
You can find more information about maintaining your well and testing water quality at The Swedish Food Agency.
Private wastewater systems
Wastewater refers to various types of polluted water such as household wastewater, stormwater, drainage water. Household wastewater includes water from showering, bathing, washing dishes and household cleaning as well as toilet water.
Wastewater can cause overfertilization which can in turn lead to algae blooms, overgrowth of vegetation, lack of oxygen in waterways and death of marine life. Wastewater also contains parasites, bacteria and viruses that can cause contamination. If you plan on altering a wastewater system or installing a new one you need a permit in compliance with the Environmental Code.
Below is a short summary of some of the regulations concerning applications/notifications for private wastewater systems.
There are a number of systems on the market and it can be difficult to know which solution is most suitable for a particular location or circumstance. Wastewater systems require an initial investment and continued running costs. You can find out more at avloppsguiden.se
Den vanligaste lösningen är avskiljning av slam i trekammarbrunn med efterföljande infiltration av avloppsvattnet i marken, där den slutliga reningen sker. Infiltrationen får inte ligga för nära dricksvattenbrunnar. Denna lösning är dock främst lämpad till permanentbostäder då investerings och driftskostnaderna är relativt stora samt att infiltrationsanläggningen kräver regelbunden kontroll för att bibehålla en tillfredställande rening. Den tekniska livslängden på en infiltrationsanläggning är ca 20 år, därefter måste infiltrationsdelen grävas om och fyllas med nytt material.
För fritidsbostäder kan det vara gynsamt att kolla på alternativa avloppslösningar som är mest lämpade för nyttjarens behov. Till exempel kan en lösning vara mulltoalett för fekalier och ett BDT (Bad Disk Tvätt) vattenfilter med efterföljande polering i biodike. Den kombinationen ger en tillfredställande rening i normalt skyddsområde och har en relativt låg investerings och driftskostnad.
Installing a private wastewater system requires permission from the Construction and Environmental Board. If it is a system that does not include a toilet and only includes bathing, dishwashing and cleaning water a notification is usually sufficient. If you are making changes to an existing system you also need to make an official notification.
Always contact the Construction and Environmental Office well in advance if you are installing or making changes to a wastewater system. Applications for permits or registrations of notifications for wastewater systems must be submitted in writing to the Construction and Environmental Board at least six weeks prior to installation/alteration. Remember that installation cannot proceed until you have been granted permission.