Liquid and Solid Wastes ENVH 2210

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Recognize that a health concern or issue exists.
• Describe steps to identify, reduce, or eliminate a health hazard, using specific examples.
• Describe the relevance of soil study to the Environmental Health Officer/Public Health Inspector.
• Describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of various soil types.
• Explain soil formation, profiles and classification.
• Recognize the various types of soil horizons present in Canadian soils.
• Identify the significant characteristics of the major soil types present in Canada.
• Articulate the behaviour of water in soils.
• Explain the function of plumbing fixtures and fittings.
• Explain what cross connections are and their public health significance.
• Discuss public health implications of improper plumbing.
• Interpret relevant sections of the Canadian Plumbing Code.
• Outline the requirements for construction and operation of sewage disposal systems where municipal sewage treatment facilities are not available (e.g. private dwellings, small industry, and small developments).
• Describe the biological processes employed by sewage disposal systems where municipal sewage treatment facilities are not available.
• Outline the factors to be considered in the design and construction of private sewage disposal systems (i.e. soil conditions, water tables, construction materials, sizes, slopes, soil depths, etc.).
• Explain the process for inspecting and approving a private sewage disposal system.
• Describe Type 1, 2, and 3 sewage treatment systems as outlined in the BC Sewerage System Regulation and the Sewerage System Standard Practice Manual.
• Explain maintenance requirements of Type 1, 2, and 3 sewage treatment systems.
• Discuss the significance of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand.
• Discuss roles of Environmental Health Officers in British Columbia including administration of the Sewerage System Regulation, document filing responsibility, inspection of systems as required, complaint investigation, and the use of legislative remedies to ensure compliance with the Sewerage System Regulation.
• Outline the role of British Columbia On-site Sewage Association (BCOSSA) and Applied Science Technologists & Technicians of BC (ASTTBC).
• Identify common problems found with private sewage disposal systems and describe how these could be corrected.
• Explain the site specific considerations needed in evaluating a plan (intended and surrounding land use, soils, topography, climate, water table).
• Differentiate the requirements for municipal versus non-municipal services when evaluating a proposed development.
• Explain how site suitability relates to land use planning.
• Explain reasons for the evaluation of site topography information in land use planning.
• Explain the relationship between solid and liquid waste disposal systems design/operation and land use planning.
• Explain setback in terms of its significance in public health protection.
• Explain the types of setbacks that may be required when reviewing a land use plan from a public health perspective (noise, air, water, sewer, land use type, right of way, utility, landfills).
• Explain key factors in evaluating setbacks (types of facilities, sources of pollutants or health risk factors).
• Identify potential sources of pollution of surface or drinking water by proposed land uses and factors that could influence the review decision.
• Explain how to conduct a site evaluation.
• Explain how to conduct a hydraulic conductivity test (percolation test or permeameter test).
• Describe the process for conducting an environmental investigation into a malfunctioning private sewage system.
• Discuss legislation applicable to private sewage disposal with emphasis on appropriate course action where a private sewage system fails.
• Describe the process for a sanitary survey.
• Describe the volumes, characteristics and composition of liquid municipal waste.
• Describe the systems utilized to collect, transport, and treat municipal liquid wastes.
• Describe, sequentially, the processes involved in liquid waste treatment employed by various municipalities.
• Describe the mechanical, biological and chemical processes involved in liquid waste treatment employed by various municipalities.
• Describe the acceptable biological and chemical requirements for treated liquid waste effluents.
• Assess the environmental and public health concerns related to liquid waste collection and treatment systems.
• Describe expected levels of treatment for each of the levels of liquid waste (e.g. primary, secondary and tertiary).
• Discuss strategies to minimize the entrance of unwanted substances into the wastewater and storm water collection system.
• Describe the disposal methods and public health concerns of storm water and industrial waste water.
• Explain the public health significance of storm water management in land use planning.​
• Identify the various sources and components/categories of the solid waste stream.
• Describe the main solid waste categories and the appropriate disposal of each.
• Compare and contrast methods of composting.
• Describe the various types of solid waste and waste management facilities.
• Describe the storage, transportation and disposal requirements of the various components of the waste stream.
• Compare and contrast solid waste disposal techniques (with their advantages and disadvantages) relative to public health and the environment.
• Describe the various techniques used in preventing off-site migration of microorganisms, chemicals, leachates, particulates, gases and vermin from solid waste management facilities.
• Discuss eutrophication, cyanobacteria and microcystins in surface water bodies and their relationship to improper disposal of agricultural or other nutrient-rich wastes.
• Explain the components of a waste control program, including the disposal of dead animals for a given animal facility.
• Outline a typical schedule of wastes in the biological/biomedical waste stream.
• Describe methods used for the safe storage and disposal of biomedical waste.
• Explain the reasons for manifesting and colour-coding biomedical wastes.
• Describe the methods used for rendering biomedical wastes non-pathogenic.
• Identify the diseases which are transmissible as a result of infection from biomedical waste.
• Identify the diseases which are transmissible as a result of infection from biomedical waste.

Effective as of Fall 2024