Definitions
1. In this Regulation, “absorption trench” means an excavation in the soil being part of a leaching bed in which a distribution pipe will be or is laid and which allows leaching; “chamber” means a structure that, (a) is covered by soil or fill, (b) is constructed with an open bottom, and (c) contains a pressurized pipe; “distribution box” means a device for ensuring that effluent from a septic tank or sewage treatment plant is distributed in equal amounts to each line of distribution pipe in a leaching bed; “distribution pipe” means a line or lines of perforated or open jointed pipe or tile installed in a leaching bed for the purpose of distributing effluent from a septic tank or proprietary aerobic sewage treatment plant to the soil in the leaching bed; “earth pit privy” means a latrine consisting of an excavation in the ground surmounted by a superstructure; “fill” means unconsolidated material brought from another location; “ground water” means water below the surface of the ground occupying a zone of the earth’s mantle that is saturated with water; “ground water table” means the elevation of the upper surface of the ground water existing in the area of the sewage system; “hauled sewage” means sewage that, (a) is not finally disposed of at the site where it is produced and is not carried away by a sewer approved under the Ontario Water Resources Act, and (b) is stored or retained at the site where it is produced for periodic collection, handling, treatment, transportation, storage or processing prior to final disposal at a place other than where it was produced, and includes sewage that is removed from a sewage system for purposes of cleaning or maintaining the system but does not include the sewage in a sewer collection system that transfers the sewage from the site where it is produced to a Class 4, 5 or 6 sewage system located on a separate property; “hauled sewage system” means works, installations, equipment, operations and land used in connection with the collection, handling, treatment, transportation, storage, processing and disposal of hauled sewage but does not include, (a) equipment used for the storage or retention of sewage at the site where it is produced, or (b) a sewage works approved under section 53 of the Ontario Water Resources Act or a predecessor thereof or a waste disposal site for which a certificate of approval has been issued under Part V of the Act; “header line” means a line of pipe with watertight joints installed in a sewage system for the purpose of distributing effluent from a septic tank or proprietary aerobic sewage treatment plant to the distribution pipe in a leaching bed; “high ground water table” means the highest elevation at which there is physical evidence that the soil has been saturated with water; “irrigation” means the disposal of hauled sewage by depositing it in a shallow trench, furrow or other shallow excavation in the ground and subsequently covering it with earth; “leaching” means dispersal of liquid by downward or lateral drainage or both into permeable soil; “leaching bed” means the soil absorption system constructed as absorption trenches or as a filter bed, located wholly in ground or raised or partly raised above ground as required by local conditions, to which effluent from a septic tank or proprietary aerobic sewage treatment plant is applied for treatment and disposal and that is composed of, (a) the soil that is contained between the surface to which the sewage is applied and the bottom of the leaching bed, (b) the distribution pipe and the stone or gravel layer in which such pipe is located, and (c) the backfill above the distribution pipe, including the topsoil and sodding or other anti-erosion measure, and the side slopes of any portion elevated above the natural ground elevation; “pail privy” means a latrine in which the receptacle for human waste consists of a removable container surmounted by a superstructure; “percolation time” means the average time in minutes that is required for water to drop one centimetre during a soil percolation test as determined by the test or by other means; “portable privy” means a portable latrine in which the receptacle for human body waste and the superstructure are combined structurally into one unit; “pressurized pipe” means a line of perforated pipe that is intended to distribute effluent under pressure to soil or fill; “proprietary aerobic sewage treatment plant” means a unit that is available commercially and that consists of one or more watertight vaults or compartments in which sewage is collected for the purpose of removing scum, grease and solids from the liquid and in which sewage is brought into contact with air to cause oxidation of the sewage and that discharges effluent for further treatment or for disposal into the soil; “septic tank” means a watertight vault in which sewage is collected for the purpose of removing scum, grease and solids from the liquid without the addition of air and anaerobic digestion of the sewage takes place and that discharges effluent for further treatment or for disposal into the soil; “sewage” means, (a) waste of domestic origin which is human body waste, toilet or other bathroom waste, waste from other showers and tubs, liquid or water borne culinary and sink waste or laundry waste, and (b) such other waste, (i) as is suitable for treatment in a sewage system regulated under Part VIII of the Act, or (ii) with respect to which a certificate of approval has been issued under section 77 of the Act; “shallow buried trench” means an excavation in soil or fill that contains a chamber; “Standard CAN3-B66” means the standards for prefabricated septic tanks and sewage holding tanks published in August, 1979 as CAN3-B66-M79 by the Canadian Standards Association; “surface water” means water on the surface of the ground; “tertiary sewage treatment unit” means a sewage treatment unit that has been designed by its manufacturer to produce effluent that contains 10 milligrams per litre or less of total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand; “trade size” means any size designation traditionally used by the trade but restricted to products or classes of products manufactured to a standard or specification so that the designated trade size may be referred to an industry accepted table or chart which then provides the true dimensions of the product in question; “vehicle” includes a plane, train, ship and boat or other vessel; and “working capacity” means the volume of liquid that a septic tank or holding tank is capable of holding without overflowing while it is in its working position but does not include the volume of liquid contained in a compartment in which a pump or siphon is installed. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 358, s. 1; O. Reg. 370/97, s. 1. Classification of Sewage Systems