Oak trees and private water supplies - separate issues.

[Wombat]

Question 1. I may possibly be moving into a bungalow in rural mid-Wales which has the benefit of a ruddy great oak tree in the garden.  Now I love oak trees, and intend to cherish it, but is there anything I should be aware of regarding my responsibilities to it, and to the highway authority and adjoining landowner, considering most of its branches overhang outside my garden?  Its in a pointed corner of the garden.  The road could best be described as a lane, and probably sees about 5 tractors a day, and thats it.  I will shortly see if I can find out if its got a TPO on it.

When I viewed the property a week ago, there was a light smattering of leaves on the lawn.  However I suspect it'll be a foot deep by now...

Question 2.  Anyone had a private water supply?  This one has its own borehole right at the front of the property (the septic tank discharges out the back) with pump, and filter system with UV clarifier under the sink.  I'm not sure what issue I may have with it, but the filter unit is very new indeed (as is pretty well everything inside the bungalow).

I'm not sure yet, whether the rainwater goes through the septic tank or not. In my present home I harvest a fair bit of the rainwater for use in the garden, in model steam engines, and other things, but I don't want to upset the balance of things for the septic tank.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Usually you don't let rainwater into a septic tank. As little water as possible should go in there.

[Quisling]

Oak trees pretty much look after themselves but lower branches can droop right down to ground level when in full leaf/acorn crop.  I suspect if it overhangs the lane it's already been trimmed a bit but a gentle "crown lift" to a suitable height about ground level would ensure light reaches the lawn and the branches don't imperil the tractors.

Unlike beech trees which shed random dead wood fairly regularly, oak tends to hang on to it for longer, so just make a periodic inspection (while the tree still has some leaf) to look for any "risky" looking branches which may benefit from proactive pruning.  Otherwise leave some deadwood up there for habitat.

Check whether there is a Tree Preservation Order on it - which brings with it the need to get planning permission everytime you want to do any significant. 

Find a use for the acorns.  Make friends with a pig owner if it's a big tree - you'll have a lot of acorns to deal with.  I've made acorn flour before but it's a right old faff to do (peeling the bl00dy things, then boiling to remove the tannins....)  The process probably uses more calories than it generates in finished product.

[Veloman]

Oak tree:

You are aware of the need to check for TPO which might open the door to a room that hopefully you will not have to visit.  (As an aside, a local parish council to me applied for a magnificent oak to be removed as it was just too big and near to houses and the lack of light resulted in loads of moss on roof, leaves in guttering etc etc.  Planning officer recommended refusal, council voted to approve removal on the condition another oak is planted somewhere in the parish.  TPOs do not always protect the tree!  (Although an appeal has been lodged, but not sure who by.)

You are legally responsible for your tree and all the work required.  The rights of neighbours and other folk regarding a tree that is considered a nuisance is well documented on t'internet.

Local primary school has just had a rather large oak 'crown-lifted' as it was well over neighbouring gardens.  A big tree and work cost £785 +VAT.  Lots of firewood and seating around the sports pitch provided!

[Aunt Maud]

I wonder how old the tree is. I have a Beech in my garden which is about 4' in diameter, but it is only probably 100 years old or so. I'm in the process of pollarding it over the course of about 10 years.

This will reduce the crown area and also increase its life dramatically. Pollarded Oaks and Beech can get to 1000 years old. There are some examples of ancient Oaks in Windsor great park, which are reputed to be over 1000 years old.

Nice video from a project in The Basque Country about ancient pollards.......

[ian]

It strikes me you also need to be wary of k.squirrels and w/b.sharks. And while you are looking up, bears.

[matthew]

On the private water supply issue, I have no experience of them but am a water treatment design engineer.

Here are some of the questions I would ask:

• Does the Bore Hole require an abstraction licence from the EA, if yes make sure you get it transferred to you and ensure you know what the costs are and the abstraction limits. I don't know enough about the rights to abstract for domestic use to know if these are exempt, licenced but free or otherwise.
• What is the land use history in the area? Have there been industial uses or mine workings that may mean the aquifer is going to change quality over time? I know of one site where there is constant monitoring for cyanide because a local factory used it and contaminated the land over the aquifer
• What type of aquifer is the borehole drawing from? For example Chalks tend to be hard water but low metals that are frequently disinfected and put directly into the municipal supply, Greensands often contain more metals such as Iron and require more extensive treatment.
• When was the borehole drilled? Are there level records for the running and has it proved secure through a dry spell? Lower aquifers are often consistent but you don't want it to dry up in the middle of a hot summer.
• I would consider getting a set of raw water and 'treated' water samples taken or asking for the records of these. Once you have them compare them against the requirements laid out in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 as amended or the WHO drinking water quality guidelines. Both contain very similar limits on the allowable water quality though most tap water is treated much beyond this to prevent the water companies being prosecuted for exceeding any of the parameters.
• Your description of filtration and UV disinfection would indicate a clean source but the filter cartridges will have a life (total volume) after which they will need to be replaced, the cartridge is there to prevent any solids coming through that will then prevent the UV from being effective. What is the cartridge life and who can fit them?
• UV disinfection implies that there is a contamination risk in the borehole, this is normal for almost every borehole. I would ask if the UV is sized for full disinfection of bacteria and viruses or simply for the deactivation of Cryptosporidium. It will give an indication of the risk for the borehole.
• Check which taps are protected by the UV system, ideally the run between the UV and all taps should be as short as possible, as unlike disinfection with chlorine there is no residual disinfectant to maintain the standard of the water. Once through the UV filter the water is open season for any new contamination to grow, so header tanks etc. are a no no and you want to think about which taps are drinking water / toothbrushing water.
• Finally, UV treatment systems are effectively sunbeds for the water, they use UV lamps. These light bulbs are like any other and will go pop. You need to be confident that spares are available and can be fitted or that there are sufficient bulbs in the system that it will operate with a blown bulb whilst telling you to get a new one.

I suspect that private water supplies should be sampled on a regular basis to confirm that they are safe but that is probably as little as once a year, find out if there is a water quality lab available for sample analysis. It is possible that the local water company will do this at a price in their lab.

[stu1102]

As your oak tree's branches overhang outside your garden and as you indicate overhang the lane...the local authority can compel you to cut branches down etc pursuant to Sec 154 of the Highways Act  http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/154 notwithstanding the act, you will have a duty of care to the public tractor drivers or not using that lane so that the public using the lane are not endangered by the tree or its branches. You can generally discharge the duty of care by reasonable management measures to ensure that the public using the lane are not injured or harmed by the branches ie inspect the overhang branches for disease etc as you rightly say enjoy your tree......in regards to your neighbour they are entitled to cut down branches that overhang their land but they must return the branches to you....well established common law...in practise most reasonable neighbours will ask you first

[Little Jim]

On the private water supply issue, I have no experience of them but am a water treatment design engineer.

Here are some of the questions I would ask:

• Does the Bore Hole require an abstraction licence from the EA, if yes make sure you get it transferred to you and ensure you know what the costs are and the abstraction limits. I don't know enough about the rights to abstract for domestic use to know if these are exempt, licenced but free or otherwise.

You are allowed to abstract 20 cubic metres per day for domestic use without an abstraction licence.  If you are using that much water  you need to check for leaks!

[Wombat]

Thanks for these truly excellent responses!

I will indeed get the water tested, and will also keep a backup stock of bottled water as a "just in case".  I know the filter and UV system is less than a year old, but will ensure I find out where to get supplies, and keep a couple of years worth in stock.  The neighbours also have a borehole, as does the farm up the road.  I'll try to get info on the borehole records (not on the geological maps!)  Almost certainly done by Powys Drilling, if its the same age as the bungalow (1985).

The oak tree show signs of a gentle crown raising some time ago, and currently looks to me as if its unlikely to be a hazard to anyone in the next few years.  I didn't get a chance to get up close and personal with it during our short visit to view the house.  The adjoining landowner is a farm, and it looks like he just uses the field for silage, although an older photo does show a few cows in it.

[stu1102]

I would not worry then about the neighbour, one thing I would do though is to mention the tree to your building insurance company as they generally have clauses in their contracts which specify risks associated with trees in close proximity to your home

[Cudzoziemiec]

Mrs Cudzo grew up in a house where all water came from a well in the garden (as did all the neighbours), I'll ask what measures if any they took. They got mains water in ~94 though so technology (and probably expectations) will have moved on.

[rafletcher]

Regs for private water supplies can be found here

http://www.dwi.gov.uk/private-water-supply/index.htm

[Quisling]

Presumably the UV water treatment requires a power supply and is therefore ineffective in the event of sustained power failure?

If so, then a small UPS may provide some comfort and avoid the need to reach for the bottled water everytime there's an outage.

[Kim]

You can stockpile a lot of bottled water for the cost of a UPS... If you have frequent short power failures it might be worth it for the convenience though.

[matthew]

You can stockpile a lot of bottled water for the cost of a UPS... If you have frequent short power failures it might be worth it for the convenience though.

I suspect this may be a better option, the power demand to achieve disinfection is not small though on a domestic supply the flow rate will be low. The big advantage is the power is only required when the water is flowing.

Finally remember the borehole also requires power to pump the water out which won't be available in a power cut unless there is a raw water header tank in the system.

[Quisling]

You can stockpile a lot of bottled water for the cost of a UPS... If you have frequent short power failures it might be worth it for the convenience though.

I suspect this may be a better option, the power demand to achieve disinfection is not small though on a domestic supply the flow rate will be low. The big advantage is the power is only required when the water is flowing.

Finally remember the borehole also requires power to pump the water out which won't be available in a power cut unless there is a raw water header tank in the system.

Good points.  I didn't think about the second one.  Disinfection power load for a 21 l/s domestic UV system is only in the order of 30W so peanuts, but the pump load is likely to be rather higher depending on the depth of borehole and nature of pipe run etc.

I think the key point is that we've identified power cuts are potentially a bit of a challenge!

[rafletcher]

If power cuts are that frequent, I’d invest in a small petro generator to keep UV, freezer, fridge and possibly cooker running.  Not to mention the CH pump.

[matthew]

You can stockpile a lot of bottled water for the cost of a UPS... If you have frequent short power failures it might be worth it for the convenience though.

I suspect this may be a better option, the power demand to achieve disinfection is not small though on a domestic supply the flow rate will be low. The big advantage is the power is only required when the water is flowing.

Finally remember the borehole also requires power to pump the water out which won't be available in a power cut unless there is a raw water header tank in the system.

Good points.  I didn't think about the second one.  Disinfection power load for a 21 l/s domestic UV system is only in the order of 30W so peanuts, but the pump load is likely to be rather higher depending on the depth of borehole and nature of pipe run etc.

I think the key point is that we've identified power cuts are potentially a bit of a challenge!

Good point re the 30W, I am more used to the municipal scale where the flows are 1400m3/hr or more so the power demands are in the kWs.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Mrs Cudzo grew up in a house where all water came from a well in the garden (as did all the neighbours), I'll ask what measures if any they took. They got mains water in ~94 though so technology (and probably expectations) will have moved on.

No treatment required. Well was concrete lined, about 6 or 7m deep, capped and water extracted via pipes and electric pump. Neighbours, however, were using ye olde bucket on a winch (not having electricians in the house and crane wells not being used in that part of the world) at the same time (and since that part of the village was built, in the 1930s).

[rogerzilla]

You can always boil the water in the event of a power failure, assuming you have a gas stove* of some description.

*or white gas.  But not a Trangia, you'll die of thirst waiting.

[Kim]

You can always boil the water in the event of a power failure, assuming you have a gas stove* of some description.

...and a means to get it out of the borehole.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Header tank between borehole and treatment?

[David Martin]

Bicycle powered pump?

[Tim Hall]

You can always boil the water in the event of a power failure, assuming you have a gas stove* of some description.

...and a means to get it out of the borehole.

Might I suggest not keeping the gas stove of some description in the borehole in the first place?