Watermark > Spring 2003 > Feature: Toolkit for on-site sewage system and stormwater planning guidebook

Features

Toolkit for on-site sewage system and stormwater planning guidebook

By Phil Wong, BCWWA Secretary

On-site sewage systems and stormwater management are the two most neglected areas of liquid waste management planning. A Toolkit for On-Site Sewage Systems Management Programs and a Stormwater Planning Guidebook have been developed for use by local governments and consultants in addressing these issues. As a Technology Transfer session at BCWWA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, a full-day workshop will be held on Wednesday April 30, 2003 to provide a solid introduction to these new ‘made-in-BC’ tools, as well as profile pilot projects undertaken by local governments.

An estimated 20 to 25 percent of the 250,000 on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems in BC are failing. Failing systems can impact heavily on human health and shoreline activities for both coastal and inland waters, including public beaches and shellfish harvesting. Drinking water quality, air, water and soil contamination, and flora and fauna impacts can also be attributed to failing systems. Many systems failures result from inadequate operation and maintenance. Additionally, while new technologies can make on-site systems feasible for marginal or severely limited sites, it is imperative that these technologies receive routine maintenance to ensure performance. The Toolkit for On-Site Sewage Systems Management Programs is designed to guide local governments in planning and delivery of a management program suitable for its particular needs and goals.

Municipalities across the province are making the transition to watershedbased stormwater planning, recognizing the links between runoff and land use. To advance a broad-based understanding of the principles of integrated stormwater management, the provincial Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection published Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for BC in the spring of 2002 (available at http://www.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/ mpp/stormwater/stormwater.html). This document, which many will be familiar with by now, defines targets for managing runoff volume, and describes engineering and planning tools and approaches for meeting those targets. The Guidebook is also intended to help develop the stormwater component of the Liquid Waste Management Plan. A thorough understanding of the science and practice of better stormwater management is still evolving as a body of case studies is accumulated and evaluated, and as experts in the field come together to share their knowledge.

The BCWWA Technology Transfer workshop will facilitate this exchange. The stormwater portion of the day will encompass a review of the provincial Guidebook, presentation of a case study and monitoring information, incorporation of criteria and objectives into municipal bylaws and policies, and an introduction of the Water Balance Model for BC, a new tool that allows users to quantify the benefits of adopting specific stormwater best management practices.

Participants will be provided with a copy of the Toolkit and of the provincial Guidebook.

It is noted that BCWWA is also intending to hold this joint on-site sewage/stormwater workshop in Cumberland and Prince George. While dates are not finalized, these sessions will likely be in May or June.

Co-sponsored by the Decentralized Wastewater Systems Committee (Chair: John Rowse) and the Watershed Management Committee (Chair: Chris Johnston) of BCWWA. Financial support provided by Environment Canada.