What Is The Cost Of An Individual Sewage Treatment System In France?

Although not mandatory at the national level, the assessment for the individual sewage treatment system may be mandatory at the local level under the directives of the SPANC (Public Service for Non-Collective Sanitation). This assessment, carried out by a professional, often a site assessor (Bureau d’Etude), advises one or several possible solutions for the treatment of your wastewater.

Some systems may be better suited to certain needs, such as compact filters for secondary homes or sewage treatment plants (microstations) for compact sites.

Several elements can be taken into account, such as the size of the land, the geographical configuration of your home and your future projects. For example, if your land is 400 m², and you plan to build a swimming pool later on, the installation of a septic tank with its sewage system will be a solution to be discarded, as its hold on the ground is superior to 100 m².

The price of the assessment of a septic system can vary between 200 and 500 euros.

The SPANC’s control for the installation of a new system or a rehabilitation is compulsory.

The public service will review the project file to ensure its compliance with state and local laws. The visit of a public agent on your property can be undertaken if necessary to verify the elements of the file. This control can be carried out several times by the SPANC in order to call you to order if the rehabilitation has not been done or simply to control, once again, the chosen solution. 

The price of the SPANC’s conformity control varies between 50 and 350 euros if an agent has to come to site. This price includes the cost related to the control of completion of the installation, listed a little further down.

Costs related to the purchase of a new system 

In addition to the price of the tank, whether it is a traditional system (e.g., septic tank with percolation area) or a compact system (e.g., sewage treatment plant (microstation), compact filter), the cost of the whole system must be taken into account. That is to say: collection of wastewater, its treatment (which may include pre-treatment) as well as its evacuation (filter, percolation area, pump, etc.).

The prices of a sewage treatment system, for a house with a maximum occupancy potential of 6 people (6 PE or EH (link to article on French Entrée), can vary greatly, from 3,000 to 10,000 euros, including its installation in many cases.

For more information about the prices of Tricel’s products please visit the dedicated pages. 

• The Tricel Novo Microstation
• The Tricel Seta and Seta Simplex compact filters

Costs related to the installation of the system

Although costs are often included in the purchase price of an individual sewage treatment system from the manufacturer, it is important to list them in order to better understand what is involved in the installation price.

The cost of installing the system includes the necessary technical drawings and diagrams, groundwork, connection materials, ventilation, backfill (sand, gravel, etc.), installation and connection to your house. The system must be ready to use at the end of the work.

These costs, as mentioned above, are often included in the purchase price of your system, if not, the price can vary significantly, the installation of a septic tank with its percolation area can cost much more than a compact system. The tank might be cheaper, but the cost of the installation and percolation area might be greater.

Finally, the control after completion of the installation is compulsory and carried out by the SPANC. You must make an appointment with the service before backfilling of your installation so that an agent can come and certify the installation.

Cost of maintenance and desludging 

Don’t forget to take into account the long-term operating costs of your installation, the after-sales service of the supplier as well as your future projects when choosing your solution.