Your Needs

Are you building a new house or considering renovations?

You will need a building permit issued by the Building Department of your regional district or municipality. Building departments require sewerage design documents as a condition of building permit approval.  Those documents are referred to as a sewerage Filing. A Filing includes records of site and soil assessment, design configuration and specifications, site plans and construction detail drawings - prepared by an Authorized Person.

After completion of the home construction or renovation, you will need an occupancy permit issued by the building department. Building departments require certification of sewerage system construction by an Authorized Person, as a condition of occupancy permit approval. Certifications include a Letter of Certification confirming construction in accordance with standards, with a record of construction drawing and a maintenance plan.

We can provide a fixed price quote for design and installation, including the Filing and Certification. Or, if you have a Filing in place by another Authorized Person, we can provide a fixed price quote for installation only. We can also provide service limited to design only, including the required construction oversight and our certification of installation by other authorized installers.

Are you considering the purchase of a bare lot or existing house? Buyer beware!

Many existing homes have septic systems that have reached the end of their useful life or have malfunctioned due to lack of maintenance or other factors. New septic systems are expensive. Before buying a home, call us to assess the system. If the system is operating normally, you can confidently purchase the property. If repairs or upgrades are required, we can provide an outline of the recommended work with a comprehensive quote.

Bare lots can be a risky purchase. The cost of onsite sewerage treatment and dispersal varies widely depending on the site and soil conditions. Some lots have conditions that essentially preclude construction of onsite sewerage systems in compliance with current regulations. In other cases, the site and soil constraints call for complex systems with costs far in excess of the purchasers' expectations. Call us for an assessment to determine the suitability for onsite wastewater, with an outline of proposed design and a fixed price quote for septic system construction.

Our Solutions

Jim Andersen ACsT, ROWP has industry-leading experience and expertise for septic system design, installation, inspection, and maintenance.

Septic System Design

The Sewerage System Regulation requires the Authorized Person (ROWP or P.Eng) to submit a Filing to the Health Authority before sewerage system construction, and a Letter of Certification within 30 days of completion.

Filings are design documents - including a site and soil assessment report, a record of design, specifications and drawings. The Authorized Person must attend the site for the site/soil assessment, excavate test pits and conduct soil permeability testing. The Filing includes a legal declaration by the Authorized Person that the plans and specifications are consistent with provincial standards for sewerage design and configuration.

Letters of Certification include a legal declaration by the Authorized Person confirming that the system was constructed in compliance with standards and in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted in the Filing.  The Authorized Person must attend the site at key stages of construction to confirm proper installation and conduct a final inspection to confirm proper operation of the sewerage system. Certifications also require a record drawing (as built drawing) and a maintenance plan by the Authorized Person.

Our designs specify cost effective solutions while ensuring compliance with the complex regulations and standards for onsite sewerage.

Septic System Inspection

We provide sewerage system assessments and inspection reports for real estate transactions or building permit conditions by fully qualified and certified Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioners with the Private Inspector endorsement.

If you wish to buy an existing home with an onsite wastewater system you will want to know if the septic system is functioning properly. You will want to determine if significant repairs or replacement are required and associated costs. Many existing septic systems are malfunctioning due to lack of maintenance or other factors. Old systems typically use simple gravity dispersal drain fields, which have a limited life span, often lasting less than 30 years. You will want to confirm that a replacement sewerage system can be constructed at reasonable cost. These issues become important during negotiations of real estate transactions.

If you wish to purchase bare land without municipal sewer services, you will want to know if the lot can support onsite sewerage in compliance with current regulations, and estimated costs. You will want to determine where the septic system can be located and how much area is required. These issues are important, in part to ensure that other features, such as wells, driveways, buildings etc. are located in a manner that makes sense with regard to proposed sewerage and that will not cause increased costs for sewerage by precluding best locations of septic system components. Also, you will want to negotiate the property purchase price with full knowledge of anticipated costs for onsite sewerage.

Before committing to a property purchase, contact us to provide a septic system inspection. We are trained and certified to carry out compliance inspections and performance inspections of existing septic systems or to conduct preliminary site and soil assessments for new systems.

Septic System Installation

We have industry leading experience and expertise for septic system installations. We apply best practices, use the best materials and components, we grade and clean up the site in a manner that provides a high quality finish - ready for grass seeding or other landscaping, and we guarantee materials and workmanship for five years.

We construct new systems for residential or commercial applications, repair or replace existing systems. Challenging sites with limited access, confined conditions or difficult soil conditions are a specialty.

The Sewerage System Regulation requires that sewerage system installation occur only after a sewerage Filing (design document) is accepted by the Health Authority. We provide design and build services (planner and Installer services) or install-only based on the design Filing by other Authorized Persons.

Septic System Maintenance

If properly maintained, onsite systems will perform as intended and last for a long time. If not, they may malfunction, become expensive to repair and potentially create a risk to public health. As with a car, proper maintenance leads to lower cost of ownership.

According to the Sewerage System Regulation, a homeowner must engage an Authorized Person to maintain sewerage systems. We are trained and certified to carry out maintenance of septic systems.

Maintenance involves cleaning filters, flushing pipes, checking pumps and controls, confirming distribution through the entire drain field and other procedures. We are trained and certified to carry out maintenance to meet local sewerage system maintenance bylaws and to help the homeowner get the maximum life out of their system.

Next Steps...

For the highest standards of honest, professional service contact Jim at 250-468-9772 (office), 250-954-7769 (cell) or via email.

Contact Us

Looking for Training and Resources?

Our onsite sewerage curriculum is professionally-developed based entirely on the learning outcomes identified by the Engineers and Geoscientists of BC and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC. We deliver instruction that is entirely focused on your achievement of those essential skills and knowledge.

Visit Equip Training