What are On-Site Sewage Systems and how are they Managed?
Public health provides input to waste management and other land-use planning initiatives to reflect the need for potential environmental threats to human health to be minimized, mitigated and/or prevented.
The Ministry of Health provides guidance to health authorities and develops legislation, regulation, policy and guidelines. An onsite sewerage system is a sewerage system usually located on the land from where sewage originates; this type of system locally treats effluent that is not serviced by a larger municipal or regional sewage system.
The regulation for sewerage systems under the Health Act covers holding tanks for sewage effluent or a system(s) that serves a single family residence or duplex or serves many buildings on a parcel of land, many parcels, strata lots or shared interests whose combined daily flow is less than 22,700 Litres.
The Sewerage System Regulation requires an “Authorized Person” as defined in the Regulation to file information about a sewerage system and a letter of certification after its construction to the Health Authority, which includes assurances that the plans and specifications are consistent with “standard practice.”
The regional health authorities are responsible for accepting filings and fees for on-site sewage systems submitted by/on behalf of home owners by industry professionals. On-site sewage systems are installed, repaired and maintained by “authorized persons”.
Site audits of sewage systems may be initiated in instances where they are known or suspected of negatively affecting a drinking water supply (e.g., as a result of system failure) or are seen or suspected to be the cause of a health hazard, guided by provisions under the Health Act (see Sections 57-61). In general, these audits are complaint driven – sites are investigated following a public complaint. These inspections are done locally by Environmental Health Officers, Public Health Engineers and Medical Health Officers, who are responsible for direct service delivery in BC’s health authorities regarding:
- On-site sewage disposal
- Health implications of solid and liquid waste disposal
- Land use activities and communicable disease
- Public health issues concerning subdivision assessment processes
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