Barge Arriving

Up the Hill

Case Study 12 - Indian Arm Summer Home

Location - north end of Indian Arm off Vancouver Harbour

Type of site - a lot located 120 feet from shore up a steep slope on which a 3 bedroom summer cabin will be built.

Design criteria - The steep slopes, heavy rainfall in the area and proximity to other summer homes suggests the use of a Type 3 system ( BOD5 and. TSS 10 mg/l or less, Fecal Coliform under  400 CFU/100 ml ) to provide the highest possible effluent quality and avoid future problems with the dispersal field.

Solution - 2 - 900 gallon concrete tanks, preloaded with media, were built in Vancouver and taken by barge to the location. An excavator and a bobcat and a large load of sand fill accompanied the tanks in a second barge.

Installation - May 2005. The concrete tanks and soil fill for the dispersal system where barged from Vancouver to the site then taken by a John Deere excavator capable of handling up to 15000 pounds up a winding access trail to the house location. Installation and placing of the 48' long by 8' wide dispersal field was completed in one very long day, see the last picture at the left. The engineering criteria called for a 36' field, additional length was added to allow for weekend overloads or possible conversion to a year round residence. A portable toilet will be installed directly over the septic chamber for the use of the construction workers during the building of the house, which is expected to take several months. On-site generators will power the treatment system, a solar panel will ultimately be the power source.

Testing - Regular testing of the system will commence once the system is in full use. The costs for the first year are covered under the Go Green service contract.

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