Helpful links and resources when considering a new septic system...
Alberta One-Call Corporation is a non-profit corporation that since October 1st 1984 has provided a communication service, between the digging community and the owners of buried facilities, to arrange for the marking of the location of buried facilities before a ground disturbance takes place.
The Ministry of Alberta Municipal Affairs:
Established by the Government of Alberta in 1993, the Safety Codes Council is responsible to the Minister of Municipal Affairs to administer portions of the safety system, including accrediting the municipalities, corporations, and agencies that sell permits and inspect the work carried out under these permits, certifying and training safety codes officers who do the inspections, administering the Alberta Master Electrician Program, and working with industry through our sub-councils to recommend codes and standards.
The Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association (AOWMA) is the provincial not-for profit organization established to educate, train and certify industry professionals. The association engages its member installers, septage haulers, suppliers, municipalities and provincial government departments to arrive at sound practices that strengthen the industry, and ensure safe and effective septage management for all rural Alberta.
The MISSION of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians is to unify the voice of the sanitary liquid waste management industry, while increasing its professionalism and public image through education of industry members and the public, and the development and national representation of individual, state, and regional chapters, allowing our industry to exchange ideas and concerns for the betterment of our members, the environment, and the general public.
The Living by Water Project focuses on shorelines along all types of waterbodies — rivers, streams, creeks, canals, lakes, ponds, wetlands, reservoirs, estuaries, and marine shorelands. We provide programs, services and materials to promote the value of keeping these shorelines healthy, and emphasize what we all can do to help care for them.
If you’re a water and wastewater professional, or someone interested in the field, put on your thinking caps and test your knowledge with these fun facts.
Under the Water Act, the provincial government owns all the water in the province. Approvals are required through Alberta Environment and Parks before undertaking activities within a body of water. This can include any activities that may alter the flow of water or affect aquatic environments. Examples may include; dams, culverts, dugouts, and berms. Approvals are also required for draining a water body. Landowners need to consider how their landscaping plans for their properties could impact their property as well as neighboring properties. ▸ learn more
Under Alberta’s Public Lands Act, all bed and shores of all permanent, naturally occurring water bodies on both public and private lands are owned by the province. Permits are required for any alterations or modifications of any shore or lake beds in any way. ▸ learn more
Any activity that may harm or alter fish habitats requires an approval under the federal Fisheries Act. Extra care when designing septic system near bodies of water is essential to prevent any harm to fish or their habitats. ▸ learn more
Activities that may disturb migratory birds or their nests requires a permit/approval under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. This is something landowners should be aware of prior to extensive landscape projects on their properties. ▸ learn more