Liquid Waste Management Plan (Sanitary)
The District of Sooke has been concerned about the presence of bacteria associated with human waste reaching Sooke Harbour and Sooke Basin since the early 1990’s.
The Stage 1 (Sanitary) LWMP involved a series of studies concerning solutions to the District’s wastewater issues, primarily related to problems and limitations resulting from reliance on septic tank systems as well as the District’s higher density “Urban Containment Area” and the Downtown “Core Area”. These studies resulted in a $22 million project to provide sewers and secondary wastewater treatment to the Core Area.
The Stage 2 (Sanitary) LWMP evaluated questions related to wastewater management options for the District for the areas that are currently outside of the Sewer Specified Area (SSA). The District completed its Stage 2 LWMP (Sanitary) in October 2005, and it was approved by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment (MoE) in December 2007.
The Stage 3 (Sanitary) LWMP used the information developed in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 to help refine sanitary wastewater management options and costs and to develop an implementation plan for the sanitary wastewater portion of the LWMP. The three most important aspects resulting from the Stage 3 (Sanitary) LWMP work are:
- Satellite Treatment Plant Effluent Standards
- Treatment Options for Areas Around Sooke Basin and Harbour
- On-Site Septic System Management
- Priority Assessment for Sewering Catchment Areas
The Minister of Environment approved the Stage 3 LWMP (Sanitary) in May 2011. The District of Sooke is the first community in British Columbia to integrate both Sanitary and Rainwater LWMP’s.