Insights · Blog
Well, septic and acreage: what to check on a rural Langley property
By Ramon Gutierrez, PREC
By Ramon Gutierrez, PREC
On a city lot, water comes from a pipe in the street and waste goes into another one. On many rural properties in the Township of Langley, both of those systems are in your yard, and both become yours on completion day. A failing septic field or a well with a water problem can cost more than any kitchen renovation, and neither shows up on a quick walk-through. A standard home inspection is a start. It is not enough on its own for an acreage.
For a private well serving one household, the responsibility is the owner's. HealthLink BC says that if your well serves one connection, such as a private household, you are responsible for testing your water to determine if it is safe for you and your family to drink. The province also says well owners are responsible for maintaining their wells so they do not harm the groundwater supply.
That means nobody has been checking the water for you. Whatever the seller did, or did not do, is now your starting point.
Start with the records. The province keeps a database of registered water wells and mapped aquifers, publicly searchable through the Groundwater Wells and Aquifers application, known as GWELLS. Not every well is in it, and older wells may have little information, but when a record exists it can show how and when the well was built.
Then test the water, during the subject period, through a qualified laboratory. HealthLink BC recommends bacteriological testing of private wells at least once a year, and chemical testing when a well is completed and on an ongoing basis after that. It points to the CALA directory to find qualified labs. The chemical side matters: the page lists concerns such as nitrates, fluoride and metals including arsenic, lead and manganese.
Ask about quantity as well as quality. How does the well perform in late summer? Has it ever run short? A well that is fine in March can be a different story in August.
The Township of Langley runs a Private Well Network, a free, voluntary program for Township residents with private wells. The Township describes it as a community-based initiative to encourage well owners to protect their health through regular testing, and it shares test results, aquifer maps and groundwater information with members. It is worth knowing about before and after you buy.
In BC, onsite sewage systems are governed by the provincial Sewerage System Regulation. Fraser Health, the health authority for Langley, states that only an Authorized Person can design, install, repair, maintain or inspect a sewerage system. An Authorized Person is a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner or a Professional Engineer.
For a buyer, that means two things. First, a general home inspector is usually not the right person to assess the septic system. Second, there may be records. Newer systems are filed with the health authority by the Authorized Person who installed them. Ask the seller for the filing, any maintenance and pump-out records, and the location of the tank and field.
Then hire an Authorized Person to inspect it during the subject period. Ask them about the age of the system, its condition, whether it is sized for the house as it is used today, and whether anything has been built or paved over the field. If you plan to add bedrooms, a suite or a second home, ask whether the system could support it. The answer can change the whole plan.
An acreage has questions a city lot does not. Is the property in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and what does that allow? Where does water go in heavy rain? Is part of the land near a creek or in a floodplain? Are there outbuildings, and were they permitted? Is there fill that was brought in, and was it approved? Your lawyer or notary will review the title for easements and covenants, and the Township of Langley can tell you about zoning and permits on file.
On a rural property, I write the subjects so there is time to do this properly. That means a water test from a qualified lab, an inspection of the septic system by an Authorized Person, a general home inspection, and the time to read what each of them finds. I ask the seller for every record they have on the well and septic before we write the offer, because the answer tells me a lot about how the property has been cared for.
If the water or the septic system comes back with a problem, that is not automatically the end. It is information. We decide whether to renegotiate, ask for repairs, or walk away while the subjects still protect the buyer.
Thinking about buying or selling in the Fraser Valley? Message me and we will go through your options.
Every property and every household is different. Ask Ramon directly.