Septic
All new septic systems on the Gulf Islands must now be designed and installed by a certified septic installer. Plans must be submitted to the Island Health Authority for approval and a fee paid. Islands Excavating is working with Canadian Sewage Solutions Inc. http://www.sewagesolutions.com/ installing septic systems on Sidney Island. There are two types of system that can be installed, gravity and pressurized.
Pressurized systems are superior to the traditional 4” gravity distribution drain pipe design. Certain areas in the typical gravity drain field can be hydraulically overloaded, resulting in incomplete breakdown of effluent treatment due to lack of oxygen in the overloaded areas.
A siphon system is similar to an electric powered pumped system, since the entire system is pressurized quickly and effluent is discharged through small orifices (5/32” diameter typically) in small doses over the entire field. The effluent is almost instantaneously distributed to the entire field. This equal distribution enables fields to last much longer and the treatment of effluent in the soil to be much more effective. Grey water becomes a potable groundwater supply.
No power is required for a siphon system, but at least an 8 foot elevation drop is needed between the septic tank and the distribution field lines to produce the siphon required to operate this system.
Traditional gravity systems provide a perfectly adequate method of dealing with septic water and is installed on lots without enough elevation for a siphon system or where a powered system is not desired.