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THE ONSITE WASTEWATER REGISTRATION PROGRAM
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The manner in which onsite system services are provided by the wastewater and sewerage industry changed on May 31, 2005, with the introduction of the Swerage System Regulation (SSR) by the BC Ministry of Health Services.
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The SSR signaled a change of role for government, in particular for the Health Authorities, with a new professional oversight role being assigned to the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC).
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Under the regulation, an industry practitioner must now be registered with “…a registration certificate issued by the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia that certifies that the holder is competent to construct and maintain a sewerage system that uses a treatment method classified as Type 1 or Type 2.” Certified practitioners are known as Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioners (ROWP).
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The regulation also allows a Professional Engineer in good standing with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC) to act as an Authorized Person while being excluded from the ASTTBC registration requirements. ASTTBC does, however, accept applications from Professionals for registration as ROWPs.
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There are four categories of registration for a ROWP under the regulation: Planner, Installer, Maintenance Provider and Onsite Wastewater Trainee. Depending on the quality and extent of documentation supporting an application, one or more ‘practice restrictions’ may be imposed. These may limit the type or style of onsite system a ROWP may work on within a given category. For example, a Planner may be restricted from planning pressure distribution systems, which are more complex than gravity-type systems. A Planner in this situation would have to refer all such work to a suitably qualified ROWP.
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ASTTBC also registers ROWPs as Private Inspectors, a category not currently required under the regulation. As with the other categories, registration as a Private Inspector helps reassure customers that a practitioner is working to rigorous standards of practice. Inspection standards can be found within the Documents section of this website.
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| ASTTBC also registers Onsite Wastewater Trainees. An applicant may be registered as a Trainee if some portion of the requirements have not been met, such as inadequate practical experience. |
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| Do I need to become a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner? |
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If you do the following work within British Columbia, you must become a ROWP or a Professional:
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Plan/design onsite wastewater systems including sewage lagoons but excluding industrial work camp systems and holding tanks
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Install onsite wastewater systems including sewage lagoons but excluding industrial work camp systems and holding tanks
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Maintain onsite wastewater systems including sewage lagoons but excluding industrial work camp systems and holding tanks installed after May 31, 2005. Anyone may maintain an onsite system installed before that date.
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An Applied Science Technologist (AScT) or a Certified Technician (CTech) who wishes to offer onsite wastewater services
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If you fall within one or more of
these categories, check out the Become a ROWP section of this website
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| Current No. of ROWPs Around BC |
| Planner (PL) |
421 |
| Installer (IN) |
500 |
| Maintenance Provider (MP) |
149 |
| Private Inspector - Residential (PIR) |
49 |
| Private Inspector - Commercial (PIC) |
18 |
| Onsite Wastewater Trainee (OWT) |
20 |
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