Type 1 and Type 2 systems, designed, filed and built
New Septic System Installation in Sooke
Sooke Septic builds new Type 1 and Type 2 septic systems in Sooke, East Sooke, Otter Point and Metchosin. We design it, file it with Island Health, put it in the ground, and send you the Letter of Certification within 30 days of finishing.
A new Type 1 system runs $18,000 to $30,000. Need a Type 2? That's $25,000 to $45,000 or more. A sand mound or pressure-dosed system is $25,000 to $45,000.
What goes into a new septic system?
We build what the design calls for — the tank, the distribution box and lines, and the drain field. A Type 1 uses a tank and a drain field, and it's allowed to have a pump. Step up to a Type 2 and it needs tighter treatment: under 45 mg/L suspended solids, and under 45 mg/L five-day biochemical oxygen demand.
Who has to design it and file it?
You have to retain an Authorized Person before anyone builds, alters or repairs a system. We're registered through the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Association of BC, and that covers Type 1 and Type 2 systems up to 9,100 litres a day.
What do we file before we build?
Before we build, Island Health gets the paperwork: a Filing form, your plans and specs, a site plan, and any covenants, easements or reports that apply to the property. They check it meets their minimum requirements and file it. Approving the design isn't their job — that responsibility stays with us.
What do you get when the work is done?
Within 30 days of finishing, we send Island Health a signed letter confirming the system meets the Sewerage System Regulation, won't cause a health hazard in normal use, and runs under 22,700 litres a day.
With it, you get the as-built diagram and your maintenance plan. Your system stays out of use until that Letter of Certification is in.
What's included
New Type 1 system
A tank and a drain field — designed, filed and built.
New Type 2 system
Extra treatment gear to hit the Type 2 standard for suspended solids and five-day biochemical oxygen demand.
Sand mound or pressure-dosed system
A raised or pressure-dosed field, where the design calls for one.
How a new system goes in
- 1
Free site visit — we come out, walk the property with you, and talk through what the build needs.
- 2
Site and soil assessment — we dig the test pits and read the soil — that's billed design work, with its own price.
- 3
Design and filing — we design the system for your lot and send Island Health the plans, the site plan and the Filing form.
- 4
The build — we set the tank, run the lines and build the drain field.
- 5
The Letter of Certification — we send the signed letter within 30 days, and you get the as-built diagram and your maintenance plan.
What is different about your area?
If you're past the Sewer Specified Area boundary in Sooke, you're on your own system. Who issues your building permit depends on your address: Sooke and Metchosin each run their own building department, and the Capital Regional District covers East Sooke and Otter Point. The filing always goes to Island Health, no matter where you live — it's a provincial rule.
What does a typical job look like?
- The problem
- You're building on a lot in Otter Point with no sewer to connect to.
- What makes it harder
- Nobody can start until an Authorized Person designs the system and files it with Island Health.
- What we do
- We do the assessment, design the system, file it, build it, and send the Letter of Certification.
People also ask
Can I build my own septic system?
You can build it yourself, but an Authorized Person still has to design it, file the paperwork and supervise the work.
What is a Type 1 system?
A tank and a drain field. The type is about how well it treats the sewage, not how it moves it, so a Type 1 can have a pump.
How soon can I use it?
Not until the Letter of Certification reaches Island Health. We send it within 30 days of finishing.
Does Island Health approve my design?
No. They take the filing and check the package is complete. The design itself is on the Authorized Person who signed it.
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