News
Due to the recent fire at the Pine View Inn in Coldbrook, the February 07 Regional Meeting has been moved to the Old Orchard Inn, Exit 11, Highway 101. Meeting times will remain the same.
--wwns
The Province of Nova Scotia has released a new Wetland Policy to the public. A link to the policy and other information about wetlands in Nova Scotia is available on the Nova Scotia Environment website at http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/wetland/.
--NSE
Nova Scotian on-site sewage Installers are now able to use processed tire shreds in the construction of leach fields for residential onsite wastewater treatment systems. Tire-derived aggregate (TDA) is a newly available construction material now produced locally from recycled vehicle tires. TDA has been approved as an alternative to stone aggregate in leach fields in Nova Scotia since 2009. Approved TDA material is now available as of July, 2011.
To date, Halifax C&D Recycling in Goodwood, Nova Scotia is the sole supplier of TDA in Nova Scotia. They can be reached at: (902) 876-8644 or http://www.halifaxcdrecycling.ca. Material can be obtained directly from the supplier or though your local septic system installer.
The approval process is the same for systems using TDA as for those using stone aggregate. The presence of some protruding wire in TDA requires that installers take basic construction safety precautions such as use of protective shoes and gloves, and remove excess material from the site through the use of magnetic nail sweepers or rakes.
--Halifax C&D Recycling
Nova Scotians who rely on wells and septic systems can benefit from a free environmental home assessment. Under this program, homeowners will be provided with a septic system assessment, a water quality sampling kit and water-saving devices. Also samples of environmentally-friendly septic cleaners will be distributed as well as information on how to properly maintain oil tanks.
Once the assessment is complete, participants who wish to have their home septic system pumped will receive a rebate of $100.00 (up from $50.00) to be used by the end of the fiscal year. Depending on financial need and the state of the septic system, lower income households may be eligible for a grant of up to $3000.00 that will help cover one-third the cost of necessary repairs.
If you wish a home assessment to be completed please contact Clean Annapolis River Project (Western Region) 532-7533; Clean Nova Scotia (Central & Northern regions) 1-800-665-5377; and Atlantic Coastal Action Program (Eastern Region) 567-1628.
For more information, please visit http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/resources/home.assessment.asp
--Clean Nova Scotia
Each septic installer, septic tank cleaner, portable restroom operator or QP11 must collect 100 professional development points over a four year period in order to remain qualified to be licensed.
Those who do not have 100 points at the end of the 4 year period, will be required to retake training, at their own expense, before their license can be renewed.
2011 is the fourth year in the cycle for Qualified Persons and Septic Pumpers (2008-2011). Please check your points totals and contact the office of WWNS if you have any questions.
--wwns
When you receive your renewal this year you will notice there has been a 2% increase in fees and licenses related to on-site sewage in the province this year.
The cost of a Septic System Installer license will now be $152.35. See details at http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/nse/paal177.asp
The cost of a Qualified Person II license will now be $285.83.
A Septic Tank Cleaner permit costs $107.05 for the first activity and $53.52 for each additional activity.
The application fee for an on-site sewage disposal system permit/approval will now be $60.87. See details at http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/nse/paal178.asp
--NSE
A revision(Appendix A) to the manual "Selection an Installation Manual for Quick4 Chambers in Nova Scotia" has been approved by NSE. This will allow for the use of 2 inch pipe with 1/4 inch drilled holes to be used for distribution in pressurized systems using the Infiltrator Chambers. For a copy of this manual, contact your local Infiltrator distributor.
--WWNS
Effective December 15, 2009
As was presented by Gary Giles of the Compliance Safety Institute during the WWNS AGM; the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal advised that new provincial Commercial Drivers’ Hours of Service Regulations have been approved, and they will apply to all motor carriers and drivers operating within Nova Scotia. The new regulations are almost the same as the federal regulations which have been in effect since January 1, 2007.
Comparing to the previous provincial rules, the maximum daily on-duty time has been reduced from 15 hours to 14 hours. A maximum daily work shift has been set at 16 hours. The minimum daily off-duty time has been increased from 8 hours to 10 hours. The number of work cycles has been reduced from 3 to 2. Log books will continue to be required, and records for the previous 14 days will need to be kept in the vehicle.
A “commercial vehicle” is a truck, truck-tractor or trailer, or any combination of them, that exceeds a registered gross vehicle weight of 4500 kg, or a bus that is designed and constructed to have a designated seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver, and is used for transporting passengers for compensation.
For local operations, within 160 km radius of home base and returning home at the end of each day, the amount of record keeping required for the federal regulations has been reduced in the provincial rules. The local driver will only be required to keep track of working time and not the specific times when the driver has been driving or doing other work. The maximum daily on-duty time will remain at 14 hours and the minimum daily off-duty time will remain at 10 hours. Daily driving time will be limited by the maximum daily on-duty time. The recording of working time does not have to be in a log book, but it must be readable and understandable. These records must be kept in the vehicle for the previous 7 days.
Pre-trip Vehicle inspections are required and the driver of the vehicle is required to carry a record of the inspections and provide these records to an inspector when requested.
The carrier is the person who owns, leases or is otherwise responsible for the operation of a commercial vehicle. No motor carrier shall permit and no person shall drive a commercial vehicle on a highway unless that person is in possession of the required inspection report(s).
Note: The complete regulation is contained within the National Safety Code standard 9, hours of service, or standard 13, Daily Pre Trip Inspection.
--wwns
QPII's (Qualified Persons II) considering retirement should be aware that Tail End Insurance is now available at a reduced rate. For more information, contact Your insurance provider or the office of WWNS.
--WWNS
The Bedford Office of NSE Monitoring and Compliance is moving. As of February 22, 2010, the new address will be:
Nova Scotia Environment
Environmental Monitoring and Compliance
30 Damascus Road, Suite 115
Bedford, N.S.
B4A 0C1
--Maxine Manuel, NSE
Nova Scotia Environment have approved increasing the loading rate of Brookfield Concrete's Peat Module units to 250 litres per day. In that background, and subject to 'system design', home owners may now be able to get away with using four modules for up to a three bedroom home (1000L per day) and six modules for a four bedroom home (1500L per day).
For further information on Brookfield's amended approval, contact Earl Morgan at Brookfield Concrete (902)673-2225 or Nova Scotia Environment (902)424-7773.
--wwns
Nova Scotia Environment keeps a listing of persons licensed by them to operate in Nova Scotia. The listings include, among others, Qualified Persons, Septic Installers, Septic Pumpers and Portable Restroom Operators. You may find these listings on the NSE website at www.gov.ns.ca/nse/resources/license.certification.listings.asp.
--wwns
Gary Cameron is the new contact person for WWNS.I can be reached by phone at (902)246-2131, fax at (902)246-2130 or email at wwns@eastlink.ca.The new mailing address is Waste Water Nova Scotia, Box 4, RR#4, New Glasgow, N.S., B2H 5C7.
--wwns
The newest version of "On Site Sewage Disposal Systems - Technical Guidelines" has been converted to hard copy and is now available at regional offices of Nova Scotia Enviroment. The cost is $10.00
--NSE
Starting April 1, 2009, all new applicants seeking training for professional certification (Installer, QP11, Flusher, Pumper, etc) must first contact NSE for the application package.
For more information or to request an application package, contact:
Amy Russell @ (902) 424-8130
After their applications are reviewed, NSE will contact new applicants and advise them how to proceed.
--NSE
The Nova Scotia Department of Environment agrees to expanded use of the sloping sand filter type on-site sewage disposal system as a standard system design for development of lots created after 1984.
The sloping sand filter must be designed for a linear loading rate no greater than 85 litres per meter on lots created after 1984. The mantle must be designed based on the permeability of the natural soils and the basal area required for the system effluent to be discharged to the subsurface.
The Department has amended the on-site sewage disposal systems technical guidelines to reflect this change.
--NSE
It has been brought to our attention that, should you be considering designing/selecting an on-site sewage system which will be encroaching on a NS Power easement, you must seek the approval of NS Power before proceeding.
As we understand it, when NS Power allows an on-site system to be constructed on their easement, there is a $1000.00 +HST administration fee for them to visit the site and register documents on the property deed.
For more information contact:
Jim Sandall
NS Power
Bedford Office
902-869-5367
--NS Power
As of March 27, 2009 Infiltrator Quick 4 Chambers have been approved for use in the selection or design of on-site sewage systems in NS. Should you wish to use the Infiltrator Chambers you will have to refer to Infiltrator's "Selection and Installation Manual" when processing your on-site sewage application.
For additional information on the Infiltrator Chambers, we suggest you contact your local NSE office, or Don Krauss of Infiltrator Systems at 888-275-1238 (toll free) or 705-845-1443 (cell).
Picture: Septic tank and Infiltrator Quick 4 Chambers on a trailer for transport.
--NSE
As of April 1 2009 the on-site sewage application fee has gone up to $59.68.
--NSE
Premier Tech Environment and The Shaw Group are pleased to announce that the Ecoflo treatment system is approved for use in Nova Scotia.
The Ecoflo is a peat module system for domestic wastewater treatment for residential and community applications. The Ecoflo system has a proven history and to date there are in excess of 40,000 installations in Canada and the United States. The Ecoflo is a lightweight module that occupies a small footprint on the property, and in most cases, only one module is required. The Ecoflo system is stocked at the GS Concrete facility in Windsor, Nova Scotia.
For more information on the Ecoflo system, please visit the Premier Tech Environment website at www.ptenv.com or the GS Concrete website at www.gsconcrete.ca.
You may also contact the GS Concrete office at 1-800-565-7000 or Alden Faulkner at 1-902-790-0623.
--Alden Faulkner, GS Concrete
A new Micro-Modular Peat Filter System, designed and produced by Brookfield concrete Products Ltd., has received approval by NS Environment for use in Nova Scotia as an on-site sewage disposal system. The new “lightweight” peat filters were subjected to an extensive testing program administered for Brookfield Concrete Products Ltd. by the Centre for Water Resources Studies and the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science at Dalhousie University.
It is also presumed to have been the first study in the province in which the treatment efficiency of a peat filter exposed to different loading rates was assessed. The testing and monitoring project was carried out at the Nova Scotia On-Site Wastewater Research, Evaluation, and Training Facility, located at the Bio-Environmental Engineering Centre (BEEC) in Bible Hill, NS.
For information on this new, innovative system, you can contact Brookfield Concrete Products Ltd. at 1-866-705-2225 (toll free), or 902-673-2225.
--Earl Morgan, Brookfield Concrete Products Ltd.
It is pertinent this year that each installer has proof of one million dollars liability insurance before their license can be renewed. Remember you need contractor’s liability as opposed to equipment liability to meet the requirements. If you have any concerns, please contact WWNS at 246-2131 or your local NSE office. (See "Requirement of On-site Sewage Installers, Septic Pumpers, Portable Washrooms Operators, Septic Bed Cleaners to Carry Contractors' General Liabilty Insurance(CGL)" article for futher information.)
--NSE
Notice QP1's & QP11's: As of last week, the Department of Environment & Labor have launched a new civic address verification system. When they receive an application and the information from Section 3 of the application form is entered into their information system, the civic address is verified. If the system determines that the address is "not valid", the application is considered "incomplete." At that point an "incomplete" letter is sent out to the applicant/contact person to verify the site information in accordance with the Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre, Civic Address Viewer (Property On-Line).
Until such information is supplied in writing, the application will not be processed. To help prevent any delays with submitted applications, please ensure addresses in Section 3 of the application forms are in accordance with what is recorded by Property On-Line.
Note: The most common error is an incorrect community name for a given PID, so please check for validity.
Should you require further clarification with respect to the foregoing, contact your local Dept. of Environment Office.
--WWNS
Requirement of On-Site Sewage Installers, Septic Pumpers, Portable Washroom Operators, Septic Bed Cleaners to Carry Contractors' General Liability Insurance (CGL).
The Dept. of Environment requires the above groups to carry CGL Insurance and/or to be covered by the company for which they work.
It was originally intended that any employee working for a company had to be listed on their employer's insurance policy before they would be offered a certification.
This has created a problem as the insurance companies are telling the employers, "If your employee moonlights using their certification, i.e. pumps septic tanks, installs septic beds, etc., technically they are covered under the employer's CGL policy. Or, worse still, if your employee left your employ, went to another company and you did not remove him/her from your insurance policy, then they could still install septic systems, pump septic tanks, etc, as they are still insured under your policy."
As all CGL insurance policies cover employees "for acts within the scope of their employment", the Dept. of Environment will now accept applications for certification from individuals provided they provide a copy of the company's CGL policy, and a letter from a company official confirming the person applying for certification works for that company.
CONCLUSION:
While the Dept. of Environment will still accept applications for certification with an employee listed on the employer's insurance policy, I do not recommend you follow this practice as it puts your company at risk.
I recommend you provide a copy of the company CGL policy, with an attached list of employees covered. In this way, the employee has insurance coverage only while working for you. Any work they do outside the scope of your employment is at their own risk.
Any questions, give us a call.
--WWNS
Background: The Regional Plan includes new requirements for watercourse buffers relative to adjacent developement. The minimum buffer width is 20 meters. Where average slopes within the buffer exceed 20%, it is widened by 1 additional metre for every 2% increase in slope to a maximum width of 60 metres. Retaining riparian buffers around watercourses and along the coastline is important for the protection of water quality, and the wildlife protection of property from natural hazards of flooding. To maximize the protection benefits of riparian buffers, trees, shrubs, ground cover vegetation and soils must be protected. To that end, excavation, infilling, tree, stump and other vegetation removal or alteration within the buffer is prohibited.
Grandfathering Principle: To provide for the reasonable developement of "existing" lots that were designed to meet requirements in effect prior to the enactment of the water course buffer provisions.Further, where substantial design work and costs have been incurred in laying out on-site sewage disposal systems for existing lots, it is not the intention of HRM to disregard this work and request a re-design for the sole purpose of accommodating the watercourse buffer.
Existing Lots: The watercourse buffer requirements may be relaxed for existing lots. Where as more information is avaiable on this topic, it can be obtained from the following people:
1) Western Region, Andrew Faulkner @ 490-4402 or Rosemary MacNeil @ 490-4650: Central Region, Trevor Creaser @ 869-4235 or Kevin Warner @ 869-4389: Eastern Region, Sean Audas @ 490-4341 or Cathy Spencer @ 490-4416 and the Regional Planning Office, Kelly Denty @ 490-6011
--Halifax Regional Municipality
Based on the review of the CWRS assessment and other scientific and technical documents,the use of air cooled blast furnace slag is now approved for use in Onsite Sewage Disposal Systems as an alternate filter material that complies with the intent of the Nova Scotia On-Site Sewage Technical Guidelines and Regulations. The following recommendations will need to be adhered to and included in any approval should slag be used as a replacement to sand.
1) Sysco will provide information regarding the long term permeability of the material, as cementious hydration can occur in the slag.
2) Slag is not recommended for use in sloping sand filters that discharge directly to fresh water.
3) Slag and leachates shall be tested periodically to assure that CCME criteria are not being exceeded. Biannual testing will be completed during the first two years of operation. Thereafter, the material will be tested yearly unless otherwise requested by the Department.
4) Slag will not be used in areas of concern for nitrate loading.
-- Robert Anderson NSE
