News release

Septage Innovations Protect Water Resource

Environment and Labour (Oct. 2000 - March 2008)

NOTE: The following is a feature story for Environment Week.


Nova Scotia's history is like that of many other long-settled areas along the coast. For generations, human waste was pumped out into the ocean and so long as the tide took it away twice a day, no-one saw any cause for concern.

Fortunately that mentality has changed. More than ever before, it is acknowledged that the shoreline where fresh water meets salty ocean tides is a ribbon of bio-complexity and that the ribbon doesn't end at the offshore boundary between Nova Scotia and other provinces and states.

The province is working on many initiatives to predict and minimize the effects of human development and climate change on coastal water resources, particularly in those rural coastal communities that are so often serviced by on-site septic systems. Over 150,000 septic tanks service 45 per cent of the province. As more people want spacious building lots for new homes, the Department of Environment Labour reviews more than 5,000 applications for new septic systems each year.

In addition to environmental awareness, great relationships between industry and environmental regulators are also a sign of the times. Today, industry leaders and government regulators in Nova Scotia work together to improve on-site systems and protect the environment. Partnerships and innovation are leading to a number of exciting new options for better management of wastewater.

One such initiative is a municipal pumping program that co-ordinates the pumping of the septic tanks in an entire neighbourhood at once on a regular rotating schedule, much like curbside solid waste collection. Several municipalities in Nova Scotia, including the District of Chester on the South Shore, have all shown interest in this idea. In the Municipality of Chelsea, Quebec, the program is already a success. Homeowners pay their municipal council for a portion of the value of the service each year along with their property tax. In return, the septic systems in their neighbourhood are pumped every three years. The cost to the homeowner is the same as, or less, than arranging for pumping as needed, and less of a financial burden. The regular schedule ensures groundwater protection for an entire area and, because all the septic systems operate more efficiently, problems are identified before a critical failure occurs. As a significant environmental benefit that extends far beyond the immediate neighbourhood, greenhouse gases and fossil fuel use are substantially reduced overall because the pumper truck follows a route that minimizes backtracking and total distance travelled from pump site to site.

There is another exciting innovation that has the potential to maximize these benefits through technology.

The septic tanks of participating homes could be pumped using Norwegian septage dewatering technology. The dewatering truck vacuums sludge out of the septic tank into an on-board holding tank. The solids are treated to separate sludge from the liquid portion. Then, the biologically active water (85-90 per cent of the total material) is pumped back into the septic tank where natural breakdown of new material can continue uninterrupted. By retaining only the dewatered sludge, this technology allows the truck to service as many as 30 to 40 septic systems per round trip before dumping the solid material, instead of the typical one to three systems per truckload using conventional technology. Based on the success of a pilot project in Victoria County, several other districts are seriously considering implementing full-scale prepaid septic tank pumping program and/or dewatering technology.

To keep Nova Scotia on the cutting edge of wastewater management, a research facility in Truro will design and test septic system construction alternatives using full-scale physical models of on-site disposal systems. This facility, which will also act as a training tool for septic system installers, is a partnership project between the Department of Environment and Labour, Dalhousie University, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and Wastewater Nova Scotia, an industry association.

Thinking beyond wastewater, the department is partnering with the faculty of engineering at Dalhousie University to found the Environmental Engineering Research Centre. The centre will use local assets and expertise to carry out applied and policy-relevant research into environmental science and engineering including air- land - and water related pollution and remediation. The centre will also evaluate new technologies and develop new and innovative environmental products through partnerships between private industry and government.

The focus on septage and wastewater management are important parts of Environment and Labour's mandate to protect ground and surface water resources. A new provincial water strategy, announced in March, will also consider the impact of water quality on health and fisheries, and watershed mapping will be extended to include coastal areas. By working together with all levels of government, community groups, and like-minded Nova Scotians, Nova Scotia is replacing the outdated practices of the past with a vision of becoming an environmental steward, respectful of our neighbours and the resources we share.