Frequently asked
Septic questions from properties with no sewer
Nanaimo Septic Systems answers the sixteen questions we get asked most about septic in the Regional District of Nanaimo: who files under the Sewerage System Regulation, what Island Health does and does not do, which separations apply, and how often your tank needs pumping.
- Is a septic system permitted or filed in British Columbia?
- Filed. Under the Sewerage System Regulation, B.C. Reg. 326/2004, an Authorized Person files a Record of Sewerage System with Island Health before construction. No authority issues a permit for the sewerage system itself, and no authority approves the design in advance.
- Which authority governs land use on Gabriola Island?
- The Islands Trust, through the Gabriola Island Local Trust Area, rather than the Regional District of Nanaimo. The Regional District remains the local government for services and Electoral Area B, and the septic filing still goes to Island Health, but land-use planning on Gabriola sits with the Islands Trust.
- What separates a Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 system?
- Effluent quality, not equipment. Type 1 is treatment by septic tank alone. Type 2 has to hold both total suspended solids and five-day biochemical oxygen demand consistently under 45 mg/L. Type 3 pushes both of those under 10 mg/L, with median fecal coliform kept below 400 CFU per 100 mL.
- How far must a sewerage system sit from a drinking water well?
- 30 m from a well supplying a domestic water system, and 15 m from a well for a holding tank, for systems filed after 25 June 2010. A professional competent in hydrogeology may vary that distance. On small older lots the separation frequently decides where a replacement field can go.
- Does a building permit require a septic filing?
- Yes, where the property is not connected to a municipal system. The Regional District of Nanaimo's building permit application checklist lists a septic filing accepted by Island Health as a required supporting document. In the District of Lantzville the building permit comes from the District, while the filing still goes to Island Health.
- Which parts of this region actually have sewer?
- Six small sewer service areas operate in the electoral areas: Surfside, French Creek, Barclay Crescent, Fairwinds, Pacific Shores and Cedar. Cedar covers 128 properties and Fairwinds covers 796. The City of Nanaimo and part of Lantzville are sewered. Everything else treats and disposes on site.
- What paperwork should a property with a septic system hold?
- Four documents: the original filing, the Letter of Certification with its as-built diagram, the maintenance plan, and pump-out records. Existing sewerage records can be requested from Island Health for $50 per property, using a Request for Release of Information form.
- Are rebates available for septic work here?
- Yes. The Regional District of Nanaimo's SepticSmart program rebates 75% of eligible expenses — up to $100 for an effluent filter, $200 for a distribution box, $400 for access risers, and $700 on repair or replacement work valued above $10,000. The rebate is for work on an existing system; new installation and tank pump-outs do not qualify, and the $700 rebate cannot be combined with the other three on the same job.
- Can a system be installed on a small lot?
- Sometimes, and the answer turns on setbacks rather than lot size alone. Island Health's published subdivision standards require 3 m from a parcel boundary and 3 m from a building, on top of the 30 m well separation. Higher treatment reduces the disposal area required, which is often what makes a tight lot workable.
- What if a system predates the current regulation?
- An older system may have no filing at all, and that on its own does not mean anything is wrong with it. Condition is assessed on what exists on site. Replacement work, however, is filed as new work and must satisfy current standards rather than the ones in force when the original was built.
- Does every property outside the city need its own system?
- Almost every one. Sewer in the electoral areas exists only as small pockets — the Cedar service area covers 128 properties, Fairwinds 796. A property outside one treats and disposes on site, however close the pipe happens to run.
- Who is responsible if a filed system fails?
- The Authorized Person who designed and signed the filing is responsible for the design, because Island Health neither approves designs nor inspects the work. Ongoing operation is yours, following the maintenance plan filed alongside the Letter of Certification.
- What is the first step on a new build?
- Test pits. Soil depth, slope and the position of every well and property line are measured before a design exists, because those measurements are what determine the effluent standard, the field type and the area required.
- Does adding bedrooms affect the septic system?
- Usually. A system is designed for a specific daily flow, so an addition that increases the number of bedrooms generally means the design has to be revisited by an Authorized Person and the change filed.
- Is a septic system a problem when selling?
- Not inherently. What buyers ask for is the paperwork — the filing, the Letter of Certification, the maintenance plan and pump-out records. Island Health releases existing records for a property for $50.
- What does maintenance actually involve?
- Pump most tanks every 3 to 5 years, which is what the Regional District of Nanaimo advises, and clean or fit an effluent filter and keep the lids reachable. A Type 2 or Type 3 system carries additional servicing in its filed maintenance plan.
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