If you live in the rural parts of the Comox Valley, then your home has a septic system.
Those systems take more work to keep running properly than flushing and forgetting.
The Comox Valley Regional District plans to start an education outreach program for electoral area residents on how to properly maintain their septic systems.
The RD already has $14,000 in the budget for the outreach program planned to run into next year.
“The primary audience are homeowners in areas with onsite sewage performance issues,” said Darry Monteith, engineering analyst, at the June 12 electoral areas services committee.
Monteith said local realtors, and septic system practitioners, will also be included in the outreach.
Electoral Area A director Bruce Jolliffe said “we’ve been waiting for this. It’s great.
“I hope we can get the real estate people educated. A lot of people move here with no experience in septic systems. But at least make sure they’re fully kept in the loop,” he said.
Electoral Area B director Rod Nichol said “lots of people out there say my septic system’s just fine”. One woman, he said, wrote to the newspaper saying people having their septic systems pumped out should be reported, not realizing that the systems have to be pumped out every three or four years.
“The majority of people out there have no idea how to maintain a septic field,” Nichol said.
Electoral Area C director Edwin Grieve said he also wanted the public brought up to speed on the results of regional district monitoring projects.
“We know about the failing septics up at Oyster River and Saratoga Beach area. Do we have a budget to continue monitoring in some of the at-risk areas. Thinking about Croteau Beach.
“I think it has to be made quite plain that we’re trying the carrot first. Other districts have gone to mandatory maintenance,” Grieve said.
The education outreach program in 2018 will include both online and direct mail components, and possibly workshops.
The provincial government enacted the Sewerage System Regulations in 2005. Under the SSR, a customized maintenance plan, developed by an authorized person must be provided to the system owner at the time of installation.
And then it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure maintenance services are completed according to the plan. There are many older systems, though, without a maintenance plan.
The province has no supporting education and enforcement program to ensure maintenance is carried out.
“Local government onsite wastewater management programs have evolved out of a need to improve onsite system maintenance in order to protect public health and the environment.
“Those local governments who have implemented … programs have found many homeowners have limited knowledge of how to care for and maintain onsite systems,” according to Monteith’s report to the committee.
Monitoring programs in Royston, Union Bay and the Saratoga Beach settlement areas “have shown evidence of onsite sewage system failures.”