Project complete

Effective March 2025, the Provincial Ministry of Environment has now approved the CSRD's Liquid Waste Managment Plan amendments for all four service areas (Electoral Areas C & G, Electoral Area E, Electoral Area F and Seymour Arm).
The reports and approval documents are available in the supporting documents section of this page.
CSRD staff will now be working to implement the plans.

Background information

What is a Liquid Waste Management Plan?

The CSRD is currently updating its Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) and proposing to introduce a new rebate program to encourage property owners to maintain the health of their septic systems. The project will include technical work alongside engagement with the public and Indigenous partners throughout 2023.

Liquid Waste Management Plans are formal, binding documents required and approved by the Minister of Environment but led by local governments. LWMPs need to be updated when local conditions change to trigger the creation of a new one.

Two goals for all LWMPs:

• Protect public health and the environment
• Consult with the public and First Nations communities

What is a Liquid Waste?
Liquid waste is wastewater, including fats, oils and grease, and stormwater run off.

Liquid Waste Services Delivered by the CSRD

For regional districts who do not own wastewater treatment plants, such as the CSRD, a LWMP tends to focus on proper and proactive septic system management.
In 2010, the CSRD launched a Septic Smart education campaign, which focused on education around maintenance and upkeep. Check out the new and improved Septic Smart Homeowner Guide for detailed information.

The CSRD also conducts environmental monitoring in areas that are sensitive to liquid waste.
Water is a valuable resource and once used, we have a responsibility to ensure it goes back into the ground as clean as it came out. Good septic system maintenance helps to achieve this.

The CSRD administers four LWMP Service Areas (Click links for maps):

• Electoral Area C/G (South Shuswap)
• Electoral Area E (Swansea Point, Malakwa, Annis Bay)
• Electoral Area F (Scotch Creek, Celista, Anglemont)
• Electoral Area F (Seymour Arm)

For more information on the LWMP update, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Septic Systems on Your Property
As the principal operators, property owners with septic systems are responsible for ensuring their system is in good, working order. It is important that owners do their part to protect the environment by properly caring for their systems. This involves conducting regular, ongoing maintenance and repairs to help prevent issues before they arise.

Owners are expected to:

• Be aware of their system and its components
• Learn how to properly care for their system and/or hire others to do the same
• Ensure proper maintenance, pump-outs, inspections and repairs as needed
• Have adequate financial or technical resources for the long-term treatment of their liquid waste.

Septic Smart 2.0 - Proposed Rebates for Good Septic Health
The exploration of a new septic system rebate program is a key focus of the LWMPs review and update.

We do not plan to change the tax requisition type or funding amount to develop and administer the rebate program. Instead, we will proceed incrementally to build the program over multiple years.

Rebates for property owners to upgrade their septic systems exist in other regional districts in B.C. Those programs are often fully subscribed causing more proactive maintenance than would otherwise happen without the rebates.

Engagement Activities to Update the LWMPs
The CSRD will engage local residents in the four LWMP service areas to:

• communicate the importance of upgrading and maintaining septic systems
• evaluate the level of support for a rebate program
• understand the level of support for the consolidation from two to one service area (in Electoral Area F only.)