The Capital Regional District (CRD) provides a wide range of operational, educational and regulatory services to help households and businesses manage stormwater, wastewater and other liquid wastes. The goals of these services are to protect human health, the environment, publicly owned sewer infrastructure, wastewater treatment & stormwater systems and privately own sewer infrastructure and septic systems in the region.
Since the early 1990s, the CRD Marine Monitoring Program has delivered marine assessment and research services for the Capital Region. Program staff are involved with the sampling and analysis of the marine environment including the surface water, water column, seafloor, and benthic communities associated with the CRD's eight wastewater outfalls.
Staff are also involved with sampling and analysis of wastewater at the eight CRD-operated wastewater treatment plants. The work fulfills and goes beyond BC Provincial environmental monitoring requirements but also helps ensure that the CRD and the Regional Source Control program are proactively addressing the impact of current and emerging contaminants and anything that CRD wastewater treatment plants are effective in wastewater treatment.
Protect the marine receiving environment
Protect human health
Confirm proper functioning of CRD wastewater treatment facilities and outfalls
Regional Source Control
The Regional Source Control program (RSCP) provides regulatory and educational services to help promote the proper discharge of waste into sewers that are connected to a sewage facility operated by the CRD.
This pollution prevention initiative aims to reduce the amount of contaminants that industries, businesses, institutions and households discharge into the district’s sanitary sewer systems.
The RSCP focuses on the reduction or elimination of contaminants before they enter the sewer system rather than treating them after they have been mixed with other wastes.
Source control is a cost-effective way to protect the environment and wastewater systems.
The program has been active region-wide since the adoption of the CRD’s Sewer Use Bylaw in August 1994.
The marine receiving environment adjacent to the CRD’s sewage outfalls
Sewage facilities belonging to the CRD and its member municipalities
The health and safety of sewage workers and the general public
Industries, businesses or operators that discharge significant non-domestic wastewater flows (greater than 10 cubic metres per day) or wastewater containing high loads of specified chemical contaminants into the sanitary sewer system require a waste discharge permit. Waste discharge permits outline requirements for wastewater treatment, liquid waste quality, monitoring and reporting. Permittees are required to sample and test their waste, record flows and report to the CRD on a regular basis. CRD staff also perform regular inspections and audit monitoring to ensure permit compliance.
If you are starting a new business or have an existing business that discharges to the sanitary sewer system operated by the CRD, but are not currently operating under a permit, authorization or Code of Practice, please complete and submit a Waste Discharge Permit Application Form [PDF/132KB].
Letters of Authorization are issued to operations that do not fall under a code of practice and have a lower impact on wastewater collection and treatment systems and/or the receiving environment compared to permitted operations. Authorizations have site-specific requirements and best management practices designed to limit the impact of the discharge and the potential for illegal discharges. Authorizations have sampling and reporting requirements determined on a case-by-case basis and inspections are carried out on a periodic basis by CRD staff.
Since the late 1990’s, the CRD has operated a stormwater quality monitoring service that samples stormwater in storm drains and at discharge points into our creeks and nearshore marine environment for potential contaminants.
The aim of the monitoring is to identify sources of contamination and assess potential impacts to public and environmental health. The data is summarized in annual reports and used by our municipal partners, other jurisdictions and the community for source control, clean-up, infrastructure upgrades and restoration activities.
Pursue effective and collaborative watershed management and stewardship
Protect clean water and effectively manage flows
Protect and enhance terrestrial, aquatic and nearshore marine habitats
Improve the resiliency and adaptive capacity of watersheds to a changing climate
Regulation of stormwater discharges falls under the jurisdiction of municipal governments. Please contact your municipality to learn of specific regulations pertaining to stormwater.
In 2010, with the direction to implement an Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) approach to develop a protocol for monitoring watershed health, the service enhanced the stormwater monitoring program to monitor for a wider array of potential contaminants and monitor flow in creeks. Moving forward with a more holistic approach, the stormwater quality service has become the Integrated Watershed Management Program.
The IWM program works to protect our local watersheds and the marine receiving environment through reducing stormwater contamination and improving overall watershed function. One of the means of achieving this goal is the development of regulatory compliance tools, such as bylaws and codes of practice, and non-regulatory tools such as best management practices, education and outreach activities.
The Core Area Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) program provides educational services to the public and technical support to municipalities to help promote the reduction of the amount of rainwater and groundwater entering the sanitary sewer system.
The program has been active region-wide since the early 1990s.
Comply with regulatory requirements regarding I&I
Promote the inspection and repair of private property laterals through education
Prioritize I&I reduction work required to eventually eliminate overflows from the system
Support sewer asset management programs
Support efforts to maintain sewer capacity needed for future growth, densification, and climate change
The cost of onsite wastewater treatment and disposal falls on the system owner in areas where sewers are either unavailable or too expensive. The Onsite Wastewater Management Program (OWMP) endeavours to support and encourage private owners in proper care and maintenance of their treatment and disposal systems in order to ensure a healthy, sustainable region. The Onsite Wastewater Management program provides both educational and regulatory services to the residents who own and operate an onsite wastewater treatment system (septic system).
The program has been providing region-wide (excluding Salt Spring Island and Southern Gulf Island) educational services since 2000 and regulatory services to View Royal, Colwood, Langford and Saanich since 2007.
Protect public health and safety
Reduce the number of malfunctioning systems
Support septic system owner and operators in the proper maintenance of septic systems
Trucked liquid waste is liquid waste that cannot be legally disposed of down the sanitary sewer or in the stormwater system because of the level of contamination or health/environmental risk it poses.
The directory below is intended to assist generators of non-sewerable liquid waste in finding service providers operating in the capital region who will collect, transport and/or dispose of these wastes.
The directory is intended as an information service only and is not an endorsement of any specific corporation or service group.
If your company provides trucked liquid waste services in the capital region and is interested in being added to this directory, please email us.
The Salt Spring Island Liquid Waste Disposal Service provides a septage and sludge receiving facility located near Burgoyne Bay, owned and operated by the CRD. The facility receives septage and sewage from service providers that is then hauled off the island for further treatment and disposal.
The CRD provides outreach and educational services to industrial, commercial and institutional owners and operators to help promote the proper management of liquid waste that cannot be legally discharged to the sanitary sewer or the stormwater collection system.
The goals of the program are to:
promote pollution prevention
promote informed decisions by the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors on liquid waste disposal
encourage the development of appropriate and cost-effective facilities
promote and increase compliance with regulations
The program helps ensure TLW is handled and disposed of appropriately and responsibly to protect the environment and public health. Learn more about liquid trucked waste
Territorial Acknowledgement
The CRD conducts its business within the Territories of many First Nations, all of whom have a long-standing relationship with the land and waters from time immemorial that continues to this day. Statement of Reconciliation
