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- British Columbia
If you’re considering planning a lakeview home or refreshing your current property, our Vernon specialists are here to help. We offer complimentary site visits to assess your property and explore your options in detail. Our team prioritizes solutions that not only protect water quality but also align with your budget and timeline. Whether you’re looking to build from the ground up or enhance your existing home, we’re committed to guiding you every step of the way.
So quite often, septic systems are out of sight, out of mind, especially when it comes to new home buyers outside of city infrastructure. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many homeowners forego a septic system inspection.
…And unfortunately, this ended up costing them tens of thousands of dollars.
Whether you’re a homeowner, a real estate agent, or an investor, and you need to navigate through all the sewage system regulations, or if you just have any questions regarding septic systems, reach out to me at info@groundstone.ca.
So, on this job site, it was an elderly gentleman who just purchased a home. When I did my initial site visit, I noticed that the distribution box was full, which meant all the wastewater that was supposedly going into the drain field was coming back into that component. Then what ended up happening was the effluent filled the line from the septic tank to the distribution box, and then it quickly overflowed back into the home, causing quite substantial damage inside the house.
Upon further investigation, we found out that this septic system was constructed illegally. It didn’t have any paperwork with the local health authority, and it was either done by a contractor who knew the homeowner or it was done by the homeowner himself.
In this area of Vernon, it’s known to have a high water table. And when we looked at the drain field, we noticed that the former homeowner or contractor had built the lateral lines directly over top of that high water table, which was about 4 ft below grade.
Here’s an example of how the effluent from the home had nowhere to go. The field lines were immersed in water. Not only is this contaminating the groundwater, but it has also created a health hazard inside the home. The challenge with high water table sites is that we have to engineer a vertical separation.
There has to be enough treatment area in the soil to remove pathogens and harmful bacteria. To remediate the problem with the line from the septic tank being too low. We had to set up a lift station.
We now directed the line from the tank into the lift station. That lift station would now pump up into a secondary pump vault.
The effluent from the vault would then be pumped into our sand filter on our new drain field area.
Here, we also tagged a new line separated from the home to accommodate an RV dump station. The RV dump station has a 300-gallon tank with the effluent running into our pump fault.
We now shift our sights to our newly excavated drain field area. We place enough sand as per our standards of practice, with about 2 ft of sand for adequate filtering for pathogen removal, as well as harmful bacteria.
Once the effluent passes through our sand filter, it poses no threat of contaminating the groundwater.
By building the field up closer to grade rather than down into the ground, we stay well above the high-water table, and we meet the separation requirements that govern treatment throughout these types of regions.
On top of the sand bed, we place clean drain rock. This is the distribution medium, and the perforated lateral lines sit on this rock layer. These lines receive the dosed effluent coming from the pump chamber, and it distributes evenly across the entire absorption area from the spacing, the pipe diameter, and the perforation patterns. All of it was designed to meet the lateral loading rate requirements under our standard practice manual and to ensure even distribution across a drain field.
An uneven drain field loads some areas past their capacity while others are underused. The linear loading rate governs how much effluent each linear meter of pipe can receive per day.
That calculation, combined with the site’s hydraulic loading rate and the total daily design flow for this five-bedroom, will dictate the total lateral length, the field area, and the application rate. This is the regulatory framework we work within on every system we design and install. Once all the lateral lines are set, the field is inspected before we close it up. We thoroughly test the system to ensure all of our orifices are distributing properly.
We then place geotextile fabric over the rock layer. This is to prevent soil migration into the drain rock. We then begin the backfilling and the final grading.
With the electrician’s work complete, both pumps are now operational, and the sand bed drain field built to spec, and the site is restored. This property finally has a septic system that not only complies with BC sewage system regulations, but it also meets our standard practice manual, and it actually functions the way a system is supposed to.
This homeowner now has running water, and he has a functioning bathroom. He can now live in peace in the home he bought. Having a registered practitioner walk this property before the purchase would have flagged the
unpermitted system immediately. They would have seen that the field lines were installed in a known high-water table area. They would have pulled the records or found there were no records and told this buyer to walk away or negotiate a significant price reduction and a proper remediation plan before closing.
We focus solely on residential and small-commercial septic systems. Beyond installation, we provide clear documentation and maintenance guidance so your system supports your Okanagan dreams for decades.
Slope-aware planning with soil testing for Okanagan lakeside and elevated lots
Certified installers trained in erosion control and landscape preservation
Component servicing, field rehabilitation, and system troubleshooting
Aerobic unit integration for waterfront and environmentally sensitive properties
We provide tailored wastewater systems for Vernon’s hillside and lakeside properties. Our team manages septic design, installation, and servicing for residential estates and vacation homes across the Okanagan.
We conduct test pit analysis to evaluate slope stability and soil composition, perform hydraulic testing, and assess limiting conditions such as lakeside setbacks, rocky substrates, or space constraints to support compliant system placement.
Our practitioners are fully insured and registered to meet Okanagan regulatory requirements. If site discoveries necessitate design revisions, our team coordinates adjustments promptly to keep your installation progressing smoothly.
Providing services across British Columbia gives us valuable knowledge on such a wide variety of topographies, soil types and lot restrictions. Through this experience it is very likely we can help you with your wastewater challenges.
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