B360_20 Water and Sewer Bylaw

Northern Sunrise County, Alberta · summary & facts

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 94b6f91b004e · verified 2026-10-18 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

BYLAW NO. B360/20 WATER AND SEWER BYLAW BEING A BYLAW OF NORTHERN SUNRISE COUNTY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA FOR THE REGULATION, SUPPLY AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SEWER SERVICES FOR NORTHERN SUNRISE COUNTY WHEREAS the Municipal Government Act RSA 2000 c M--26states that a council may pass bylaws for municipal purposes respecting the safety, health, and welfare of people and the protection of people and property; AND WHEREAS the Municipal Government Act RSA 2000 c M--26states that a council may pass bylaws for services provided by or on behalf of the municipality; AND WHEREAS matters pertaining to waterworks and sewage works systems within Northern Sunrise County boundaries affect all residents and ratepayers within said municipal boundaries; AND WHEREAS the various portions of the potable water system in Northern Sunrise County have various owners, consideration will be given in this Bylaw for equipment, systems and facilities owned by others but operated by County personnel; NOW THEREFORE, the Council of Northem Sunrise County, in the Province of Alberta, duly assembled, enacts as follows: 1. PURPOSE AND CITATION 1.1 The purpose of this bylaw is to regulate control of water, wastewater, plumbing and drainage within the boundaries of Northern Sunrise County. 1.2 This Bylaw may be cited as the "Water and Sewer Bylaw". 2. CONTROL 2.1 The use and control of all public waterworks, sewers and drains and any disposal or other work connected therewith or incidental therewith shall be under the direct control and management of Northern Sunrise County authorized personnel, as de?ned hereunder, and shall be in accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw. 2.2 Exceptions to 2.1 include authorized personnel of other owners where dealing with waterworks or sewage works, equipment, systems, or facilities not owned by Northern Sunrise County, i.e. NEW water Ltd., Woodland Cree, Village of Nampa or East Peace Regional Water Co-op, and such others as may become partners with, or customers of Northern Sunrise County. 3. DEFINITIONS 3.] In this bylaw, unless the context otherwise requires: "Alternative Water Source" means wells, dugouts, ponds, creeks, lakes and rivers. "Account" means Utilities Account which is an agreement between a customer and the County for water, or water and sewer services, of which the terms of this Bylaw shall form a part of, and includes the amounts payable from time to time by the Customer to the County. 3.1.3 "Authorized Personnel" means any person or persons employed or contracted by Northern Sunrise County, who are authorized to operate, maintain or repair any waterworks or sewage works, equipment, system, or facility. 3.1.7 3.1.8 3.1.10 3.1.11 3.1.12 3.1.13 3.1.14 3.1.15 3.1.16 3.1.17 3.1.18 3.1.19 3.1.20 3.1.21 3.1.22 3.1.23 3.1.24 3.1.25 3.1.26 "Catch Basin" means a cast iron grating and ?ame which forms part of a storm drainage system and is designed to permit water to enter the drainage system but exclude large objects from entering. "County" means Northern Sunrise County. "Co-op" means the East Peace Regional Water Co-op, its Board, members, contractors, agents and assigns. "Customer" means any person, group or company holding a water account with Northern Sunrise County. "Distribution and Distribution System" means the distribution of drinking water through an underground network of piping, pumps and storage reservoirs, including Truck Fill stations. "Facilities or Facility" means any infrastructure forming a part of the waterworks or sewage works or drainage works owned by the County, NwL or the Co-op. "Hamlet" includes the Hamlets of Cadotte Lake, Little Buffalo, Marie Reine, Reno, and St. Isidore within the boundaries established in the Land Use Bylaw. "Industrial Wastes" means the wastes for industrial manufacturing processes, trade or business as distinct from residential or domestic sanitary waste. "Manhole" means a surface access to any underground water, wastewater or drainage system through which access is available by employees or contractors for the purpose of maintaining such systems. "Meter" means a device designed to measure the amount of water or wastewater which passes through it and has a register attached which records said amounts and which is read regularly for the purpose of providing a bill for service for the customer or account holder or for tracking water delivery or sewage pumped volumes within the system for records and reporting purposes. "NWL" means the Part 9 company "NEW water Ltd", a revenue neutral corporation formed by partnership between Northern Sunrise County, Woodland Cree First Nation, and the Village of Nampa and registered according to the Business Corporations Act. "National Sanitation Foundation Standard 60 and 61" means the accepted standard for chemicals, components and design of drinking water systems in the Province of Alberta. "Operator" means a Water/Wastewater Utility Operator, certi?ed by the Province of Alberta. "Property Owner" means in the case of land, the Person who is registered under the Land Titles Act, R.S.A. 2000, Chapter L--4,as amended, as the owner of the fee simple estate in the parcel of land; or in the case of any property other than land, the Person in lawful possession of it. "Reservoir" means any facility for the storage and either distribution pumping or regional transmission pumping of potable water or both, or open ponds for raw water storage. "Sanitary Sewer" means a sewer line which carries wastewater and to which surface and ground waters are not admitted. "Service Connection" means that portion of the water piping system used to supply water from the water main to the customer's property or convey sewage from the customer's property to the sewer main. "Sewage" means any sanitary discharge from residences, businesses, institutions, and industrial buildings and sites, but not including ground, surface, storm and melt water runoff. "Sewage Works" means all facilities for collecting, pumping, and treating and disposal of domestic sewage or wastewater. "Storm Sewer" means a piping system, a ditch system, or any combination thereof, which carries storm and surface water and melt water drainage, but excludes wastewater and polluted industrial wastes. This also includes such catch basins and manholes, silt and sand interceptors, retention ponds, and outfall structures which are connected to, and form a part of, such drainage systems. "Truck Fill Station" means a stand--a1onestation or part of a reservoir where customers can fill trailer or truck mounted tanks with bulk water via a large hose connection. Access is via a digital customer access panel where a unique ID number and PIN are punched in. "Waterworks" includes all pumps, treatment plants, main lines, pressure regulating valve stations, air/vacuum relief valve stations, reservoirs, booster stations, water distribution lines, hydrants, valves, service lines and connections vested in or under the control of the County. "Work" means any construction, renewal, addition, modification or extension to any County waterworks or waste system. 4. WATER WORKS SYSTEM 4.1 Connection to Waterworks 4.1.1 4.1.2 4.1.3 4.1.4 4.1.5 4.1.6 No person, unless authorized by the County, shall make any connection whatsoever to the water distribution system or main lines of the County. Any person making an unauthorized connection to the system shall bear the costs of removal or repair as well as connection fees and penalties as speci?ed in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. All authorized connections shall be made using best industry practices and in accordance with all applicable international, national, provincial, and local codes, regulations, standards and bylaws as amended from time to time by each agency. All such connections to County systems are subject to inspection by the County prior to back?lling of excavation or prior to turning on the new connection for service. Notice shall be given to the County at least two (2) business days in advance, when the work is ready for inspection. If a trench has been back?lled prior to inspection, the County may require that it be re--dugto allow for inspection with all costs being the responsibility of the owner or developer. All new services shall have an account with the County Administration of?ce and shall have a water meter in place prior to turning on the service for use. All orders for such activation shall be issued by the County. For the purpose of providing temporary water services during construction, every effort shall be made by the contractor to utilize the actual building or site service line and an account shall be obtained for such service. Preexisting water services may be used in connection with new buildings with written permission from the County following a review of the existing water service at the time of development permit issuance. 4.2 Interference with Hydrants and Valves 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.2.3 Except as herein provided, no person, other than authorized employees or contractors of the County shall open, close, operate or modify any valve, hydrant, pump or other appurtenance, or draw water therefrom. Any person found to be operating or taking water from a hydrant or other connection without authorization shall be guilty of an offence and subject to the penalties as set out in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. No vehicle, building, rubbish, matter or thing which could cause obstruction to visibility, operation or access shall be placed within 4.5 meters (15') of a hydrant unless approved by the County. The County may authorize the use of hydrants for supply of water to contractors or community groups for a de?ned period of time under special account. Such hydrant usage shall be: a) metered, and such meter shall be provided and set up by the County; b) controlled by the user via a Gate Valve, also supplied by the County; c) shut down and rigged out by the County. 4.3 Application for Water Service 4.3.1 4.3.2 4.3.3 4.3.4 4.3.5 4.3.6 Application for the provision of water service to any premise or site shall be on forms supplied by the County and must be signed by the property owner or owner's agent of the premises. A landlord may make an application for water service to a rental property or co-sign with a tenant an application for water service. Such dealings between the landlord and the tenant shall be governed by the Alberta Residential Tenancies Act. All rates, costs and charges imposed under this bylaw may be levied and collected in like manner as municipal rates and taxes as per Section 553(l)(a) of the Municipal Government Act. The cost of providing such services as provided by: a) the County, shall be as prescribed in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw; b) all non-County systems, shallbe the rates and charges set by such system owners. A deposit may be required to secure the account against non-payment. Such fees shall be set out in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. In the case of a mobile home situated on a rental lot, whether in a Mobile Home Park, or on a single lot of land, the County may, at its discretion, grant the Tenant a water service account. In the case of non-payment of the account, the cost will be recovered by: a) forfeiture of the Tenants deposit if applicable; b) recovery of amounts owing according to 4.3.3 above; c) such dealings between a property owner and/or landlord, and/or a tenant in a mobile home on a rented lot shall be governed by the Alberta Mobile Home Site Tenancies Act. 4.4 Water Turn On/Tum Off 4.4.1 4.4.2 4.4.3 4.4.4 A?er any work, or the completion of work requiring a plumbing Permit Number, and only when such permit has been produced, may water be tumed on by authorized personnel. Customer Turn On/Turn Off demands during business hours shall be subject to a fee as set out in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. Water Turn On/Turn Off requests will be completed during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, with a minimum of two business days advance notice. Emergency Turn On/Turn Off requests will be subject to an additional charge as set out in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. All completed work may be subject to inspection by the County. 4.5 Water Meters 4.5.1 4.5.2 4.5.3 4.5.4 Water Meters Specifications and Installation a) Unless otherwise approved by the County, one (1) meter shall be provided for each building or site service. Multi-residential sites such as apartment buildings, condominium complexes, mobile home parks and RV parks, or multi-bay industrial buildings shall be provided (1) meter. Duplex residential properties shall have individual service connections and shall be provided with one meter per residence. b) Meters shall be provided by the County and shall typically be installed at the point of entry of the water service line into the building or mobile home. c) If, in the opinion of the County, the building(s) or other premises intended to be supplied with water are too far from the supply point to conveniently install a meter in such building or premises, or if a number of buildings on the site are to be so supplied for any other reason, then the owner /developer shall, at his cost, construct and maintain the meter container or vault and provide unrestricted access to the meter for authorized personnel. cl) The owner/developer shall provide space in the building or site to allow for the installation of the water meter(s) into the building or site service line. The owner/developer shall install shut--offvalves ahead and behind the meter to allow for its removal. e) The meter shall be installed horizontally and upstream of any take-offs except for approved ?re lines, sprinkler controls or standpipe hose systems. f) New meters shall be located in an easily accessible, heated location and protected from damage; in a mobile home, new meters shall be located within the building where the water line enters. g) The County may grant the general contractor in charge of a project a temporary water meter until such time that a pennanent water meter may be installed. Access to Water Meters a) Authorized employees or agents of the County, the Co-op or NWL shall have unrestricted access to water meters for the purpose of installation, repairs and maintenance, and reading or testing of the meters and ancillary reading equipment. Such access shall be made with reasonable notice. b) In the case of rental properties, if authorized personnel are unable to gain access to the meter, the owner of the rental property shall grant access to the meter with proper notice as set out in the Residential Tenancies Act or the Mobile Home Site Tenancies Act. c) Where an emergency situation arises, and authorized personnel are unable to gain access to the meter, they may elect to turn off the water supply to a service without notice. Special Meter Readings a) That a Customer who requests a special meter reading shall pay the fee designated in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. Calibration Testing at Request a) In the event a meter reading is disputed by a customer, a written notice shall be required. A deposit shall be paid prior to the meter being tested in accordance with the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. Following such written notice, a meter 4.5.5 4.5.6 situated on the premises of such owner shall be pulled from service and tested by an independent meter shop. In the event that the said meter is found to be accurate within 98.5% to 101.5% of the water passing through same, all expenses of such test shall be borne by the party giving such notice. In the event that the meter is found to be faulty, the County shall correct the account based upon the testing of the meter. Non--RegisteringMeter a) If upon the reading of a meter, it is determined that the meter has failed to properly record the ?ow of water, the County shall estimate the ?ow. Utilities personnel shall be dispatched to investigate and remediate the cause of the non-registration of ?ows. Tampering with a water meter shall constitute theft. Meter Relocation a) When the County removes or relocates a meter, all costs associated with the removal or relocation shall be paid by the party making the request. b) 4.6 Water Supply System Protection 4.6.1 4.6.2 4.6.3 4.6.4 4.6.5 4.6.6 4.6.7 4.6.8 4.6.9 4.6.10 4.6.11 In the case of leaky or faulty ?xtures or service connections, the County may stop the water supply until the leak or fault is repaired as required. The cost of disconnecting or re- connecting shall be borne by the owner and he shall have no claim against the County for loss of business or water service. For the purpose of determining the responsibility for a leaking service connection, the curb stop valve or service supply valve is considered to be at the Property Line whether the physical location of said valve is on the legal property line or not. If the leak is determined to be on the property owners' side of the valve, then the repair is the responsibility of the property owner. If the leak is determined to be on the County side of the valve, then the County shall be responsible for the repair. Should the property be serviced by the Co--op, the responsibility for all repairs to the service line shall fall to the property owner as a C0- op member. All repair work to any service connection both on and off property shall be subject to inspection by the County prior to back?lling of the excavation. The County may require that a back?ow preventer or a check valve be installed, at the owner's expense, on any water line. For all water services that are found to be frozen, the thawing of such services will be the responsibility of the property owner or his agent from the curb stop to the residence. The County is required to give notice of water turn off if at all possible except in the case of emergencies. The County shall not be liable for any damages which may result to any persons or premises from shutting off of water from any water main or service or for any purpose whatsoever, even in cases where no notice is given and no deduction shall be made from water bills in consequence. Any property owner desirous of discontinuing the water service must give not less than two (2) business days' notice to the County, of their intention to discontinue the service, otherwise he shall be liable for the water used, or damage arising from the use of, or damage to the service. Any account holder wishing to have the water service disconnected for seasonal travel shall pay a Tum--onand Tum-off fee as set out in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. The County is not responsible for damages to any property, or loss of water, arising from damages caused by freezing, ?re, vandalism, theft or other acts or circumstances arising from a live service connection left unattended. In the case of a water service being no longer required due to being of insuf?cient size, age, or a building being moved or demolished or whatever reason, this service shall be disconnected and turned off at the main line: a) no structure shall be demolished or removed until the water service has been disconnected from the water main line; b) water meters from discontinued services shall be turned in to the County Of?ce or County operator and a ?nal reading shall be taken to ?nalize the account. Failure to return the meter will result in the cost of the meter being applied to the ?nal billing or to the tax roll account as per section 4.3.3. Account deposits may also be forfeited to recover costs or amounts owing. No private drinking water well or other drinking water supply shall be constructed and operated within the boundaries of Northern Sunrise County unless it conforms to all federal/provincial/local standards, codes and regulations and testing is carried out, according to such standards, codes and regulations by the owner, to ensure the safety of the water supply. No connection from an alternative water source shall be made to any distribution system: a) where such cross-connection is found by the County, the County may, at its discretion, either disconnect the water service or physically remove the cross- connection to prevent or stop contamination of the drinking water system; b) where customers install a cistern or water storage tank the water level must provide an air gap causing the water level to sit below the point of entry. 4.7 Waterworks Standards 4.7.1 4.7.2 4.7.3 4.7.4 All materials and equipment installed for the purpose of connecting a residence, building or site to the Waterworks system, and all chemicals used, shall meet, at a minimum, the NSF Standards # 60 and 61 and all applicable national, provincial and local standards, codes, regulations and bylaws. All water lines shall be buried at a depth between 2.44 meters (8') and 3.04 meters (lO') unless otherwise approved or speci?ed by the County. Plastic lines shall have a metallic tracer wire or ribbon either incorporated into the pipe or buried alongside the pipe and exposed for connection of pipe tracing equipment at the meter setting and at the curb-stop valve. All Fire Hydrants installed within Northern Sunrise County boundaries shall meet all Federal and Provincial Acts, Regulations and Codes and shall be of the three port variety, Canada Valve Century or compatible, sharing common repair parts, with an isolation valve installed between the water main and the hydrant. a. All hydrants shall be equipped with a 4" Stortz bayonet style fitting and shall allow for fast connection and deployment 5. SEWER SYSTEMS 5.1 Connection to Sewer System 5.1.1 5.1.2 5.1.3 5.1.4 5.1.5 5.1.6 5.1.7 No sewer of any description shall be constructed in the County except under the supervision and direction of a competent consultant and/or contractor and shall comply with all applicable federal, provincial and local standards, codes, regulations and bylaws. Any person found to make an unauthorized connection to the County sewer system shall bear the cost of the removal or repair as well as connection fees and penalties as speci?ed in the County's Fees and Charges Bylaw. Where a public sanitary sewer is not available a private sewage disposal system may be constructed according to provincial regulations until such time as a public sewer facility becomes available. Preexisting sewer lines may be used in connection with new buildings with written permission from County following a review of the existing sewer service at the time of development permit issuance. All such connections shall be subject to inspection by the County prior to back?lling of excavation. All new services shall have registered an account with the County Administration office concurrent with application for water service. This shall apply to either public or private lands in which has been laid any pipe connecting to County sewer mains. (a) Notice shall be given to the County at least two (2) business days in advance when the work is ready for inspection. The work must be left uncovered and ready for inspection. All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be the responsibility of the owner or developer. An automatic back water valve will be installed in the building drain at the time the sewer line is installed. The owner of the building is responsible for its maintenance. 5.2 Environmental and System Protections 5.2.1 It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner upon public or private property within the hamlet boundaries within Northern Sunrise County, any human excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste. It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the boundaries of Northern Sunrise County, or in any area under the jurisdiction of said County, any sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with all applicable federal, provincial and local Approvals, Codes of Practices, Acts, Regulations and Bylaws. 5.2.2 5.2.3 5.2.4 5.2.5 5.2.6 5.2.7 5.2.8 5.2.9 No person shall discharge any water, waste or discharge through an abnormal connection to the County sewer system without prior review of the County. Authorized parties are subject to costs outlined in the County Fees and Charges Bylaw and required to maintain records detailing the dates of discharge, location, quantity of discharge, nature of the material discharged and report to the County monthly. Storm Sewage: (a) no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water, roof run--off,cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters into any sanitary sewer; (b) storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to storm water sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the County; (c) industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the County, to a storm sewer or natural outlet. No person shall discharge or cause or permit to be discharged any waste or wastes described within Alberta Regulation 119/93 Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act Wastewater and Storm Drainage Regulation as amended from time to time without prior review by the County. A customer requires County approval for the discharge of waste containing any of the following characteristics: (a) a f1ve--dayBiochemical Oxygen Demand greater than 300 parts per million by weight; (b) containing more than 400 parts per million by weight of suspended solids; If any waste described in 5.2.3 or 5.2.4 is discharged into public sewers the County may: (a) reject the waste; (b) require pre-treatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to public sewers; (c) require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; (d) require additional payment to cover the added costs of handling and treating the wastes; (e) require that clean-up or remediation and associated costs be borne by the emitter of the waste. Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided by the owner at the County's discretion. (a) Such interceptors shall be approved by the County and located in an easily accessible area for cleaning and inspection. (b) The maintenance of such interceptors shall be the responsibility of the owner at his expense, and remain in operation at all times. When required by the County, the owner of any property served by a sewer connection carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the sewer connection to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. The manhole shall be installed and maintained at the owner's expense. All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes shall be determined in accordance with the "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" as published by the American Public Health Association and shall be determined at the control manhole. Should a special manhole not be required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the common sewer to the point at which the sewer connection enters. 5.3 The use of privies or "outhouses" within hamlet boundaries in Northern Sunrise County is prohibited except where such facilities are self--containing and emptied by vacuum truck or pump-out truck on a regular basis. Use of such privies shall be limited to construction job site use, public events and local states of emergency. Within seven days of completion of proper water and sewer connections, the privy shall be removed. Within one (1) day of the end of the event, all such privies shall be removed from the site. Within three (3) days of the lifting of a declared state of emergency, all such privies shall be removed. 5.4 In the case of any blockage, either wholly or in part of said sewer system of either the County sewer main or the individual service is caused by reason of failure, omission or neglect to comply strictly with the provisions of this bylaw, the persons concerned therein shall, in addition to any penalty for infraction of the provision hereof, be liable to the County for all costs of clearing such blockage and for any other amount for which the County may be held legally liable because of such blockage. 6. POWER AND AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS 6.1 The County and other duly authorized agent of the County shall be permitted to enter on all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions of the bylaw. If such inspection discloses any failure, omission or neglect to comply with the provisions of this bylaw, the person making such inspection shall in writing notify the said owner, or occupant to rectify the cause of complaint. In the event of continued non--compliance,services may be shut off until such time as necessary repairs or connections have been completed. All costs involved with the shutting off and turning on of the water shall be charged to the account holder/occupant or the Landlord or property owner in the case of a rental property. 7. SEVERABILITY PROVISION 7.1 Should any provision of this Bylaw be invalid then such invalid provision shall be severed and the remaining Bylaw shall be maintained. 8 REPEAL 8.1 This Bylaw repeals Bylaw B280/l5 Water and Sewer Bylaw, Bylaw B031/96 Levying and Collecting Water Keylock Charges, Bylaw B032/96 Levying and Collecting Sewer Charges and Bylaw B033/96 Levying and Collection Water Charges. 9 EFFECTIVE DATE This Bylaw shall come into force and effect when it receives third reading and is duly signed. Read a first time this 11"'day of February, 2020 Read a second time this 1l"'day of February 2020 Read a third time this 25"'day of February, 2020 Signed and made effective this 25"'day of February, 2020 < Chief ministrative Officer