A series of proposed changes to septic tank regulations in the Building Code could make renovating or building a home or cottage in Muskoka more expensive.
If approved, a list of 28 proposed changes to the Building Code by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will affect anyone in Ontario trying to get a permit to build a new home with a septic system. Existing homeowners doing renovation projects on buildings with septic systems could also potentially have to replace them if they don’t meet the proposed standards.
Up for deliberation with ministry representatives at the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association conference in Huntsville this weekend, the proposals could take effect as early as 2012.
“Your sewage system must meet current Building Code requirements if you are planning an addition of 15 per cent or greater (of the building’s current size), or if you’re adding plumbing fixtures or bedrooms,” said Sandy Bos, a Muskoka Lakes building inspector who is also an Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association board member.
Under the new proposals, the addition of an effluent pump to the septic system will be required to distribute treated wastewater from a septic tank evenly though the pipes in the filter bed – the area where the water seeps back into the soil. A requirement to use higher-grade sand in the filter bed is intended to further improve filtration.
Requiring the filter bed’s pipes to be wrapped in copper wire will allow inspectors, contractors and homeowners to easily find them in a yard without digging up the ground.
Quoting a 2005 poll by the University of Guelph, Bos says there are over 35,000 homes in the district which use an on-site septic system. But despite the promise of better sewage treatment, Bos fears the changes will mean added costs for homeowners during already hard times.
He says the cost of replacing a septic system with one that meets the proposed standards can cost as much as a new car or boat – running between $10,000 to $25,000. For new homeowners, it means paying $5,000 or more than they would under current regulations if the proposals are passed.
“Some of these changes are obviously good for the environment and public health and safety,” he said. “However, some of the changes will only increase the cost of installing sewage systems, and will make recently-installed systems obsolete for anyone wanting to make renovations in the future.”
In Muskoka Lakes, he says a properly-installed system under current regulations is already doing a good job of preventing septic runoff from damaging local lakes, streams and wildlife.
Ignoring the proposed septic regulations during construction or renovation can bring a fine of $50,000 for a first offence and up to $100,000 for subsequent offence, says Bos.
According to James Ross, a policy co-ordinator with the ministry, the proposals are being brought forth because the province is looking to bring Ontario’s septic tank regulations in line with those recently established by the Bureau de Normalisation du Québec (BNQ) – an accredited standards development council.
“It’s a made-in-Canada standard, so it’s able to measure how septic systems perform in our climate,” he said of the BNQ standard.
Currently, the province uses an American system.
“You’ve got to take into account snowfall, the effects of spring runoff – not many other countries have to deal with three feet of snow disappearing in a couple of weeks,” said Bos. “We have unique climactic factors that affect the operation of a sewage system that must be taken into account.”