Consider your farm and the potential for pollution using the steading dirty water audit. It could help you to improve current good practices and give you ideas for minimising dirty water around the steading.
Question | Tick appropriate box | Action |
|---|
Is contaminated run-off from yards, hard standings and tracks collected and disposed of in accordance with guidance in the PEPFAA Code? | Yes  | You may be able to further reduce run-off from these areas. The "Working it out" section will help you calculate the potential amount of rainwater collected on these areas and highlight which make the greatest contribution to storage. |
| No  | Systems should be put in place to either prevent or collect contaminated run-off. Consider; - Roofing dirty areas to reduce contaminated rainwater on yards
- Minimising yard areas accessed by stock
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Do all buildings have serviceable gutterings and down pipes? | Yes  | Check serviceability of guttering and down pipes at regular intervals. |
| No  | Repair or replace broken guttering and down pipes. Make sure clean rainwater is either collected or routed to a clean drain. |
Are existing drainage and collection systems checked for serviceability, blockages or leaks? | Yes  | This will increase the chance that any breaks or blockages are quickly detected, reducing further problems. |
| No  | Check your drainage systems are in good working order. Drainage failure could lead to a pollution incident, which may go undetected for some time. |
Hosing down processes around the steading can generate large volumes of dirty water. Do you try to minimise water use? | Yes  | Less dirty water produced, means you have less slurry to collect store spread and handle |
| No  | Reducing water use means less to collect and handle, along with any financial savings on mains water. Consider: - Changing hosing practices, a high-pressure hose will use less water than a standard hose or volume washer.
- Fitting a trigger mechanism to all hoses to stop flow when not in use.
- Using recycled water. Installation of a simple tank can utilise rainwater collected from building roofs, reducing mains water use. You may need professional help to identify the most suitable option for your farm. Speak to your local agricultural adviser for more details.
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Are levels in both above and below ground storage tanks monitored? | Yes  | This will demonstrate how vulnerable your tanks are to filling up after heavy rainfall and indicate any operational failures. |
| No  | Monitoring tank levels will allow you to reduce the risk of overflow and organise spreading with contractors well in advance. |
Is all run-off from silage clamps collected? | Yes  | Roofing your silage clamps could further reduce the amount of effluent you are collecting. |
| No  | Collection and proper storage of silage effluent is required under the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003. You may need professional guidance to advise on installation of a suitable collection system. |
Is all run-off from steading middens collected? | Yes  | Roofing your midden could further reduce the amount of run-off you are collecting. |
| No  | Collection and proper storage of midden run-off is required under the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003, as this runoff is classed as slurry. Consider clearing out the midden and using a well sited, temporary field heap instead. Temporary field heaps should be sited at least 10m away from a field drain or watercourse and 50m from a spring, well or borehole. |