Septage Treatment Facility Assistance Program

About the Septage Treatment Facility Assistance Program

The purpose of the Septage Treatment Facility Assistance Program is to protect the quality of groundwater and surface water resources by ensuring the proper construction, maintenance and operation of septage treatment facilities.

Household water and wastewater services must function properly to protect public health and the environment. Approximately 400,000 people in rural Nova Scotia depend on sewage pumpers and septage treatment facility operators to handle the volume of wastewater that is generated as a result of the pumping out septic tanks. Regular maintenance of septic systems is crucial to groundwater protection. Nova Scotia Environment and Labour recommends that tanks be pumped at 3-4 year intervals. This material (septage) must then be properly handled and treated to reduce potential adverse effects in our environment. This is normally done by storing and treating the material in lagoon systems.

Protecting Nova Scotia water resources: Who will benefit

Rural Nova Scotia will primarily benefit from this initiative. There are 29 privately and municipally operated septage treatment facilities in the Province. These facilities are located in every county except Richmond and Shelburne Counties. Many facilities must undergo major upgrading in order to comply with the Department’s “Guidelines for the Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Septage” (PDF: 110k) by 2010.

New Guidelines for Operators: Helping you get there

Operators who will be upgrading their facilities to meet the revised standards have until December 31, 2010 to complete the upgrades so they can continue to service their local areas. The operators must comply with these guidelines by December 31, 2010. The four year Septage Treatment Assistance Program consists of $2.9 million primarily targeted at assisting operators as they work toward that deadline. While this assistance program may benefit the individual operators in the short term, the real benefit will be that rural homeowners will continue to have affordable access to septage management facilities that meet provincial standards.

This four year program, totalling $2.9 million, will offer assistance to septage treatment operators of up to $100,000 for the construction of replacement facilities or the implementation of new technologies, and up to $50,000 for improvements or upgrades to existing septage treatment facilities.

Getting started

The program will be managed by Nova Scotia Environment and Labour. Operators of existing facilities have been advised that they must advise the Department of their intent to comply with the revised “Guidelines for the Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Septage” (PDF: 110k) by October 1, 2006. Those who commit to continuing their operation under the new guidelines will be invited to submit a proposal and application for assistance. Operators who will be closing their facilities in accordance with the guidelines are also invited to submit a closure proposal and apply for assistance. These will be evaluated by a team of professional staff to determine where funds will be awarded.

The assistance program has variable levels of funding through 2010. Owners of privately and municipally operated septage treatment facilities may apply at any time during this period.

How can the Program help me as an operator?

Depending on the amount of assistance that is requested or awarded, participants may be eligible for up to 50% of costs to a maximum of $100,000 for replacement of septage treatment facilities that cannot be simply upgraded, or new technologies, and up to 50% of costs to a maximum of $50,000 for improvements to existing septage treatment facilities. These costs may include fees associated with engineering studies, environmental monitoring requirements, construction costs and sludge treatment.

The Department will require operators to engage the services of private consultants to carry out any necessary engineering work associated with the upgrades. Private contractors will be required to complete actual construction or modifications based on the engineered designs.

What happens next?

This program will run through 2009/2010, and is allocated as follows:

	2006 / 2007	2007 / 2008	2008 / 2009	2009 / 2010
Improvements	400,000	500,000	300,000	300,000
New / Replacement	100,000	900,000	200,000	200,000

This four-year program totals $2.9 million.

For more information

Download the 2006/07 application form:

Septage Treatment Facility Assistance Program (PDF: 32k)

For further inquiries about the program, protection of Nova Scotia’s water resources, or how you can obtain funding, please call 1-877-9ENVIRO (1-877-936-8476), or contact Nova Scotia Environment and Labour at the Kentville Office: 1-902-679-6088.

Septage Treatment Facility Assistance Program
Nova Scotia Environment and Labour
136 Exhibition Street
Kentville, NS
B4N 4E5
Phone: 902-679-6088
Fax: 902 679-6186