Why a Healthy Septic System Is One of the Greenest Choices You Can Make on Vancouver Island
True Water Septic | Victoria ∙ Langford ∙ Sooke ∙ Saanich ∙ Sidney ∙ Gulf Islands
When most people think “eco-friendly,” they picture solar panels or electric cars.
Few realize that a properly maintained septic system is actually one of the lowest-impact wastewater solutions on the planet — especially here on Vancouver Island, where we live surrounded by sensitive oceans, salmon streams, and shallow wells.
A failing septic system, on the other hand, can quietly become one of the single biggest pollution source on your property.
Here’s the truth most homeowners never hear.
1. Your Septic System Is a Mini Treatment Plant — When It Works
A well-designed and maintained Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 system removes 95–99 % of pollutants before the water ever reaches the soil or groundwater.
That final, crystal-clear effluent is often cleaner than the stormwater running off urban streets.
We’ve tested effluent samples from properly serviced Type 2 & 3 systems in Metchosin and Saanich that were safe enough to irrigate a vegetable garden with (and in some cases do!).
2. A Failing System = Raw Sewage in Our Waters
When filters clog, pumps fail, or biomat seals the drain field, untreated or partially treated sewage starts surfacing or migrating sideways.
Real-world consequences we’ve seen on the Island:
E. coli spikes in Colwood creeks after heavy rain
Shellfish bed closures in Saanich Inlet traced back to uphill septic failures
Private wells in the Highlands testing positive for coliform bacteria
Dead zones in shallow bays where excess nutrients trigger algae blooms
One single failing seaside lot in the Gulf Islands can release more phosphorus in a year than an entire street of city homes on municipal sewer.
3. Septic Done Right Beats City Sewer for the Environment
Yes, you read that correctly.
Municipal treatment plants use massive amounts of electricity and chemicals and still discharge into the ocean (Victoria’s own system only went to secondary treatment in 2020).
A modern, maintained onsite system uses very little or zero electricity (Type 2/3), no chlorine, and returns clean water directly to your local aquifer — exactly where rain would have gone anyway.
In rural and semi-rural areas like Sooke, Langford, or Saanich, onsite septic is almost always the greener choice.
4. The Biggest Environmental Threats We See Every Week
Clogged or missing effluent filters → solids destroy the drain field in 3–7 years
Overloaded Type 1 systems from too many bedrooms or a new hot tub
Neglected Type 3 treatment plants with dead pumps or blown fuses
Trees and shrubs planted over the drain field → roots invade and shatter pipes
All 100 % preventable.
5. Simple Actions That Protect Our Island Waters
Keep up your maintenance schedule (annual for Type 2 & 3, every 1–3 years for Type 1)
Never flush wipes, chemicals, grease, or medications
Conserve water — low-flow fixtures and spread-out laundry days help immensely
Keep rain gutters and driveway runoff away from the drain field
Have us check your effluent filter and alarm every visit (we clean filters before they fail, not after)
We’re Not Just Fixing Septic Systems — We’re Protecting the Island We Love
Every service call we do in Langford, Sidney, or Salt Spring keeps another 250–400 litres a day of clean water returning safely to the ground instead of polluting our beaches and shellfish beds.
If every septic owner on Vancouver Island did basic maintenance, we would remove more nutrients and pathogens from local waters than any new municipal plant ever could.
Let’s prove that rural and acreage living can be the most environmentally responsible way to live on this coast.
Book a maintenance or inspection today and do something genuinely good for the Island →
truewaterseptic.ca/maintenance
Because clean water starts in your own backyard.
Stay green (and blue),
The True Water Septic Team
Proudly protecting Vancouver Island’s waters one system at a time
