WHEREAS human health and the production of safe and healthy food products for human consumption can be compromised by sewerage system malfunctions or poor design; AND WHEREAS complaints to BC Health Authorities and the self-regulating professional associations have had poor results due to 1 a lack of regulated third party oversight; and 2 the limited ability to provide oversight with respect to agricultural products: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province require British Columbia Health Authorities to implement third party monitoring of sewerage installations on and abutting farmland or, at minimum, on a random basis.
Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health the Ministry is responsible for maintaining and administering the Sewerage System Regulation under the Public Health Act. This regulation, passed on July 7, 2004, is based on a professional reliance model which places the responsibility for onsite sewerage system design, installation and maintenance on Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioners and Professional Engineers. Health authorities are responsible for receiving sewerage system filing applications filings from practitioners and providing statutory enforcement in cases where health hazards arise from failing or malfunctioning systems. The regulations and guidance currently in place are aimed at protecting human health as well as agricultural food products grown on nearby sites. Over the past year, the Ministry has taken a number of steps to improve regulation and oversight of onsite systems. This includes: -Partnerships with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC ASTTBC and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC APEGBC on developing practice guidelines to improve oversight and assessment of authorized persons under the regulation. APEGBC reports that the number of complaints related to professional practice on sewage systems has dropped significantly as a result. -The Ministry, along with APEGBC and ASTTBC, developed seminars for authorized persons at five locations Nanaimo, Nelson, Kamloops, Prince George and Langley in October and November 2013 to reinforce practice and technical guidance for authorized persons. -ASTTBC and APEGBC are developing mandatory requirements for continuing professional development and are developing audit programs to review their members. -ASTTBC has developed a list of competencies for Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioners which will be used to develop improvements to training programs for onsite sewage planners and installers. Finally, since onsite systems are land-based systems on individual lots, the Ministry also sees a potentially important role for local government as well. The Ministry has worked with the Ministry of Community Sport and Cultural Development MCSCD in the development of their best practices guide for onsite sewage for use by local government and health authorities. Furthermore, some regional districts have introduced bylaws that have significantly improved oversight of maintenance of septic systems. This direction addresses a number of commitments made by a UBCM onsite sewage committee several years ago. The Ministry hopes that MCSCDs best practices document, along with its model bylaws, can encourage more local governments to take a more proactive approach in this area.