Achieving sustainable housing and land development on decentralized wastewater systems
Sustainable housing and land development is a challenge for any community. Many First Nations communities have the additional challenge of working private wells and septic systems into their sustainable development plans.
Health Canada wanted to help First Nations communities make decisions about sustainable housing development based on their decentralized water systems. So they asked us to gather information and package it in a way that would benefit planners, designers, and decision-makers.
We gathered the expertise of our engineers in a guidebook that covers hydrogeological studies, regulations, and the planning of single-homes and subdivisions. The guidebook is not intended to plan development for the communities but be a resource to guide planners in the design of their own developments. The guidebook balances detail for planners and brevity for decision-makers so they can choose the development option that will most benefit their community.