Septic services · Port Alberni
New Septic System Installation in Port Alberni
New Type 1 and Type 2 systems, and Type 3 systems installed to a professional's design.
Port Alberni Septic installs new Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 septic systems across Port Alberni, Sproat Lake and Cherry Creek. We design Type 1 and Type 2 systems ourselves and install Type 3 to a professional's design, with pricing from $18,000 to $45,000 or more for your property.
A new Type 1 system typically runs $18,000 to $30,000. A new Type 2 system typically runs $25,000 to $45,000 or more. A sand mound or pressure-dosed system runs $25,000 to $45,000. A new Type 3 system is a custom quote.
Type 1 and Type 2 systems
A Type 1 system treats sewage with a septic tank and a dispersal field — the basic setup, and it can still use a pump. A Type 2 system adds treatment so the effluent comes in under 45 mg/L suspended solids and under 45 mg/L five-day biochemical oxygen demand, which usually means more equipment and a higher price. We design and install both.
Type 3 systems
We install Type 3 systems built to a professional's design. The tighter effluent limits mean an engineer or a geoscientist has to design it, and our job is building it exactly to their drawings. There's no standard price range for a Type 3 system — every design is its own custom quote.
Filing before we start
Before construction, we file the required documents with Island Health — the filing form, plans and specifications, a site plan, and any covenants, easements or hydrogeological reports your property needs. Your system can't be put into use until the signed certification reaches Island Health, and we get that in within 30 days of finishing.
What's included
New Type 1 system
A septic tank and dispersal field, designed and installed for your lot.
New Type 2 system
Added treatment to bring effluent under 45 mg/L on suspended solids and five-day biochemical oxygen demand.
New Type 3 system
Installed to a professional's design, for the strictest effluent limits.
The installation process
- 1
Site and soil assessment — we dig test pits and read the soil to see what your lot can support.
- 2
Design and filing — we draw up the system and file it with Island Health before any work starts.
- 3
Installation — we put the tank and field in to the filed design, with a ROWP supervising throughout.
- 4
Certification — we send the signed letter to Island Health within 30 days, and you can start using the system.
What does a Port Alberni-area lot mean for this job?
On rural lots around Sproat Lake and Cherry Creek we start with a full soil assessment, because we need to know what the ground can take before we size a system. On smaller in-town lots in Port Alberni, the assessment settles where a drain field can go.
What does a typical job look like?
- The problem
- A Cherry Creek property has no septic system at all — it's a new build on a rural lot.
- What makes it harder
- The soil on part of the lot doesn't drain well, which limits where the field can sit.
- What we do
- We run the site and soil assessment, design a Type 2 system for the usable ground, and file it with Island Health before installing.
People also ask
How much does a new septic system cost?
A Type 1 system typically runs $18,000 to $30,000, and a Type 2 system runs $25,000 to $45,000 or more.
Can you design a Type 3 system?
No — a Type 3 system is designed by a professional, an engineer or a geoscientist. We install it to that design.
How long does a new septic installation take?
It depends on the site assessment, the design and filing, and the size of the system — we give you a schedule once the design is filed.
Do I need a building permit as well as the Island Health filing?
Sometimes. A building permit is separate from the Island Health filing, and whether your job needs one depends on the work — we tell you at the visit.
For related help, see system design and site assessment and septic repairs, or compare typical prices in the septic cost guide. See also Sproat Lake and Cherry Creek.
Septic service in nearby communities
Keep exploring
- Compare septic costsTypical price ranges for installation, repair, pump-outs and inspections.
- System Design & Site AssessmentSite and soil assessment and septic system design for Type 1 and Type 2 systems in Port Alberni, Sproat Lake and Cherry Creek.
- Septic RepairsDrain field repair, pump and float replacement, distribution box replacement and blockage clearing in Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley.
- Port Alberni Septic home
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