OWRP :: CONSUMER INFORMATION CENTRE

I don’t know where my system is:

I need a new system. What do I do?

My system isn’t working well. What do I do?

The Municipality/ Regional District requires my system be inspected.
What do I do?

I am looking to buy/sell a property with an onsite sewage system. What do I do?

How do I maintain and service my system?

How do I make
a complaint against
an ROWP?

How do I become
an ROWP?

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioners can be registered in one or more of several categories: Planner, Installer, Maintenance Provider, and Private Inspector. These Practitioners are trained to perform the functions described by their category name. If you would like to have your system maintained, or even just located and assessed, you can contact a Maintenance Provider or a Private Inspector to do so. To find an ROWP MP or PI near you, follow this link: ROWP Finder

If a sanitary sewer system is nearby you must connect to it rather than replace your current onsite sewage system with another one. Discuss with your city engineering department:

Whether a sanitary sewer connection is located near your property.

The approximate cost to connect to the sewer line.

If the costs can be applied to property taxes. Where this is possible, the costs to pay back the installation is spread over a number of years rather than one immediate bill.

If no sewer connection is available, a new onsite sewage system must be installed.

Site Assessment: An estimate for a new onsite sewage system cannot be obtained until a proper site assessment is conducted by an ROWP Planner, or Professional Engineer experienced in onsite wastewater systems. Such assessments require:

Survey plan showing the exact boundaries of the property.

A copy of all details on file - especially any restrictive covenants, rights-of-way or easements - with the Land Titles Registry.

A full soil evaluation and percolation testing.

A review of the size of the home, number of bedrooms, number of occupants, amount of entertaining and other usage details to determine the appropriate size and features of the new system to best suit the property and the client's needs.

Once the site assessment is completed, a plan for the new system is filed with the local Health Authority office by the ROWP Planner or Professional Engineer. ROWP Installers can then provide cost estimates to construct the system. Be aware that quotations can vary between Installers.

When systems have a serious problem and there is wastewater, or a risk of wastewater, coming to the surface or backing up into the home or building, or if a potential health hazard may be present, you must take immediate action.

Have an ROWP Maintenance Provider or Private Inspector check the system and determine the cause(s) of the problem. They will tell you if the system needs minor maintenance, a repair, or if the problem is more serious and the system must be replaced. Sometimes monitoring for a few days or longer is necessary to determine for causes(s) of the problem.

While the problem is being diagnosed, the septic tank, trash tank (a component that goes before a treatment plant, like a septic tank) and/or treatment plant may need to be pumped frequently to prevent wastewater from escaping the system. Repairs may take several days, even up to a week. Replacement of the system could take much longer.

Minor corrective work is straightforward and it is usually easy to get quotes from Maintenance Providers. The replacement of a system requires further testing to determine soil types and profiles, percolation rates, groundwater influences, and other factors.

Regular maintenance and monitoring can often help identify system problems long before they become serious and expensive to fix. Maintenance Providers are specially trained to carry out preventive maintenance to help homeowner get the maximum life out of their system, both older and newer systems built under today’s regulations.

An inspection may be required to, for example, support application for a building permit. A Letter of Assurance is typically required and this can be provided by an ROWP Private Inspector, a Professional Engineer or, if these are not available, an ROWP Planner.

The ROWP will need to know details about the property (easements, covenants, restrictions, proposed building plans) before providing the Letter of Assurance along with conducting a thorough check of the features, performance and even location of the current system. This helps ensure that a workshop, swimming pool, or other structure is not constructed over top any portion of the onsite system nor would cause the system to overload and malfunction from increased usage in the building.

If you wish to sell a property served by an onsite wastewater system, it is worth considering having an inspection done by an ROWP Private Inspector to determine if there are any problems with system condition or function. If problems are found, they can usually be readily corrected and this proactive step can help sell your property.

When a prospective buyer makes an offer, they will need to contact the ROWP Private Inspector who carried out the inspection so that the Private Inspector can explain how the system works, where it is, and determine if it is sized appropriately to meet the needs of the buyer. This way, both parties can be comfortable with the outcome and confident that they know what they are selling or buying.

If you wish to purchase a property with an onsite system, it is also strongly recommended that you have the system inspected by an ROWP PI. The PI could potentially discover that expensive corrective action is needed, that the system was not designed to serve the size of home as it is currently being advertised (often due to the addition of suites or bedrooms in previously unfinished areas), that the system is experiencing a serious performance malfunction that requires it to be replaced, or even that part of the system is on the neighbour’s property or there is a diversion of wastewater into a creek. All of these issues can have a profoundly negative effect on a new homeowner who was not responsible for their creation but is now fully responsible for correcting them.

On the other hand, the ROWP PI may be able to confirm that the system needs only minor inexpensive maintenance, or perhaps nothing at all. Either way, it is valuable information for a prospective home purchaser when considering a purchase.

Note: A negative inspection result should never be considered a “deal breaker” out of hand. In the majority of cases, both parties will want to complete the deal and this is where negotiations can play their part. Whether both parties are willing to split maintenance/repair/replacement costs or money is held in trust pending the completion of the maintenance/repair/replacement, an agreement can often be reached that satisfies both parties and allows the deal to move forward. This is where experienced Realtors know how to negotiate around these issues and keep the deal moving.

To find out how to maintain and protect your onsite system, follow the link: System Maintenance

ASTTBC’s Practice Review Board deals with any complaints against its registered members. Click on the link to find out how to make a complaint: Making a Complaint

For a full explanation of how to become an ROWP, follow the link: Becoming an ROWP

Quotations:

The Installer you hire should provide a written quote detailing:

What degree the site may be disturbed during repair or replacement work

What action the Installer will undertake to minimize damage and

To what degree the site will be restored after completion.

For example, is the site to be rough graded, or hand raked? Is grass seed or turf desired? Will the Installer touch up areas that settle within the first year following installation?

Electrical Permits:

If electrical components are installed as part of the system, check with the Installer if they are arranging for the electrical permit and if the fees are included in their quote.

Get at least three quotes in writing and be very clear, again in writing, about which parts of the job you expect the ROWP Installer to complete. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.