Decision Date: November 23, 2001

Panel: Alan Andison

Keywords: Sewage Disposal Regulation – ss. 3, 7(1)(b), Schedule 3, ss. 4, 9, 12, 14; conventional package treatment plant system; mercury

The Appellants appealed the decision of the Environmental Health Officer to issue a sewage disposal permit for construction of a conventional package treatment plant system on a property where the Permit Holder plans to construct a dental clinical.

The Board first considered whether the slope and soil conditions on the property would cause a risk to the public health if a system were approved. The Board found that the slope of the property, distance to the property line, and depth of soil to an impervious layer were all sufficient to ensure that the system complied with the Sewage Disposal Regulation and would protect public health.
The Board next considered whether the proposed sewage treatment plant could adequately treat the volume of effluent that would be discharged into the system. The Board found that the 320-gallon per day estimate was reasonable and that the system was capable of treating this level of sewage flow.

Lastly, the Board considered whether the discharge of mercury into the system would cause a risk to public health. The Board found that the proposed amalgam separator system would ensure that mercury would not be introduced into the sewage treatment plant or the ground absorption field. The amalgam separator would capture between 95% and 100% of any mercury amalgam that potentially could enter the waste stream. Any remaining amalgam would then be caught in the sludge trap before it entered the treatment plant.

Accordingly, the appeal was dismissed.