News Regulation & Guidelines
B.C. government offers resources for flooded residents who own sewer systems

Victoria, B.C. – British Columbians living in flooded areas and who own sewer systems are being warned of the potential health and environmental risks and the means to mitigate them.

During flooding and while standing water persists, sewer systems cannot function properly. Flooding can also lead to saturated soil conditions, erosion or land surface changes that can damage systems or change how the system functions after water recedes. A damaged or failed system may result in sewage backed up into the home, contaminated drinking water, or other unsanitary conditions.

People who own or are responsible for an on-site sewer system that has been affected by flooding should contact an authorized person to assess the proper functioning of the system. If it is not functioning properly, they should stop using the system and shut off power to any pumps while assessing the cause of the problem. The following resource will help take appropriate action to protect human health and the environment:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/keeping-bc-healthy-safe/health-emergency-response/sewage_systems_and_flooding.pdf

The Sewerage System Regulation requires an authorized person to conduct construction, including repairs and maintenance, of on-site systems. For more information about authorized people and other resources related to on-site systems:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/waste-management/sewage/onsite-sewage-systems/onsite-sewage-system-management

For questions about on-site system administration, drinking water safety or public health in regions of B.C., contacts for each health authority are found here:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/water-quality/drinking-water-quality/health-authority-contacts