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BRE365 Soakage Tests establish whether the ground at the site of a new development is suitable for infiltration which is important for drainage systems like soakaways in Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).
We provide BRE365 and percolation soakage tests across the South East region and beyond.
We conduct BRE365 soakaway tests to assess the permeability of the soil and determine the feasibility of soakaways for surface water disposal.
We provide detailed reports to support drainage strategy submissions.
Scroll down to understand why you might need a soakage test for your site.
What is a BRE365 Soakage Test and why might you need one?
What is a BRE365 Soakage Test and why might you need one for your construction project?
BRE365 Soakage tests are sometimes referred to as
-Infiltration Testing
-Percolation Testing
-Permeability Testing
-Soakage Testing
In the old days people would dispose of surface water from their properties just by sending it through an underground drainage pipe into a pit filled with rubble, and this acted as a soakaway. Water infiltrates the ground and literally soaks away. This happened without the understanding of the rate at which water infiltrated and soaked away which is a recipe for flood risk on or off site.
Nowadays, infiltration is still held at the top of the sustainable drainage systems hierarchy for disposing of surface water. However, current flood risk management guidance and best practice requires that any new building or development that seeks to dispose of surface water by infiltration, carries out a soakage test in accordance with the Building Research Establishment Digest 365, commonly known as BRE365 soakage test.
Any residential or commercial client who wants to gain planning approval for their construction project has to go through the planning process. Depending on the size of the build or development, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) will consult with their Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or their Drainage Officer (DO) on matters of flood risk and drainage. The LLFA or DO may advise the LPA that the client organises BRE365 soakage test to be carried out as part of their planning submission. If this test is not carried out according to the BRE365 guidance, the LLFA or DO would normally advise against the build and therefore on this basis the LPA would normally not grant planning permission.
This test is evidently a crucial aspect of engineering design for any construction project that intends to use infiltration as a way of managing surface water on site, regardless of whether the site already uses old style rubble soakaways that “works”.