The Scoop on Poop: Part 1
By Natalya Melnychuk, PhD
Image by: Emmanuel Cordoliani
Sewage and septic systems have been making the news more often– not just for Area G and the Columbia Shuswap region but for the whole Province. As a result, the editors of the Scoop asked me to write about this topic. For this editorial, I am writing independently, not in affiliation with the CSRD as I do in my regular updates. Instead, I am writing as a technical expert with a PhD in water policy and a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner designation that allows me to design septic systems. I am also a member of the Canadian Onsite Technical Resource Association, which works to provide knowledge sharing and guidance to the wastewater industry. I will not comment on any of the systems in the Shuswap that currently have Provincial compliance and enforcement files; however, the compliance reports on these systems are public and can be found on the following database: https://nrced.gov.bc.ca/records. This editorial covers BC wastewater policy and industry challenges. The editorial is divided across the next two issues (months) of the Scoop. Part 1 – this month – covers the regulatory and technical context. Part 2 – next month – covers some of the challenges facing the industry.
Regulatory and technical context: AKA: the policy and science guiding where our poop goes
Currently, in BC there are two pieces of legislation – the Environmental Management Act (EMA; responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Parks), and the Health Act (HA; responsibility of the Ministry of Health) that have regulations for wastewater management. Under EMA – the Municipal Wastewater Regulation (MWR) provides rules when the amount of wastewater flows is 22,700 litres or more per day or there is direct discharge to surface water. This large flow means that this regulation typically applies only to wastewater coming from places like a municipal collection system (e.g., a sewer system), but can also apply to larger resorts, hotels, or multi-family dwellings like an apartment building where an onsite localized septic system is in place. The Health Act’s Sewerage System Regulation (SSR) governs flows that are less than 22,700 litres per day. Note that there are still systems in use in the Shuswap that were allowed under the earlier (since retired) Sewerage Disposal Regulation (SDR) and the Regulations Governing Sewage Disposal (RGSD). The most current regulation creates the obligations for owners of these older systems, regardless of whether construction was under the RGSD, SDR, or SSR.
The regulations define how clean wastewater must be before entering lakes, oceans, or groundwater. Outside of the municipalities in the Shuswap Watershed (Chase, Salmon Arm, District of Sicamous) and some larger multi-family residences that treat and then discharge into the lake, most systems are onsite systems that treat the wastewater on the same property and then release the effluent into the environment through the soil. Because most single-family residential systems locally are under 22,700L/day, they are the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and fall under the SSR. Flows per day are calculated based on the type of use (e.g., different residential or commercial types of use); for example, a 1-bedroom house with 2 people living in it year-round would be 700L/day.
Systems under the SSR and SDR are either type 1, 2, or 3 systems. In Type 1 systems, effluent first settles in a plastic or concrete tank. Next, the effluent flows into a drain field. In the field, there are pipes with small holes throughout them, which allows effluent to flow into the soil and be further treated. Type 2 and 3 systems remove suspended solids including organic carbon. Typically, these systems have an added medium to the type 1 process that further treats the wastewater before effluent reaches the soil under the field. Type 3 systems further treat the effluent most often by using UV treatment and can allow for a smaller drain field. Type 2 and 3 systems are typically only used when soil conditions and closeness to a water body or drinking water well require a higher quality of treatment to ensure public and environmental safety. However, these systems are not necessarily superior to a Type 1 system. Additionally, in any of these systems, the effluent may flow by gravity or by a pump to the field. Any of these systems may also be either in-ground or raised – like a sand mound. An installer may use a raised system when there is not enough natural soil or there is poor quality soil (clay, bedrock) at a location that limits treatment.
Additionally, in the Shuswap, there are many older systems, which were installed under the old SDR or RGSD regulations. These old regulations sometimes allowed an alternative type of septic system called a dry well. This system treats effluent to a lesser extent with wastewater settling first in a tank and then flowing into a hole in the ground filled with drain rock through a cement cylinder rather than via a field. Unfortunately, many of these dry well systems lack permits.
Today, to install a legal septic system a person must retain a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner (ROWP) with a planning designation or an engineer with a specialty in wastewater to design and file a system with either the local Health Authority for SSR systems or with the Ministry of Environment and Parks for MWR systems. The authorized person must figure out the amount of wastewater effluent flow and the soil depth and type to calculate the proper tank size, field length, and type of system for a specific location.
To be continued in next month’s Scoop...
