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## VILLAGE OF RYCROFT BYLAW 228-21
## "WATER AND WASTEWATER BYLAW"
A BYLAW TO ESTABLISH THE REGULATIONS FOR THE MUNICIPAL WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS.
WHEREAS the Municipal Government Act RSA 2000 M-26 a council may pass a bylaw in whatever way the council considers appropriate, within the jurisdiction given to them;
NOW THEREFORE the Council hereby establishes the following rules and regulations for the water and wastewater systems for the Village of Rycroft.
## 1. TITLE
This bylaw may be cited as the "Water and Wastewater Systems Bylaw".
## 2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this bylaw is to establish rules to follow for the water and wastewater systems for the Village of Rycroft.
## 3. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
In this Bylaw:
- a. Authorized Employee - a person appointed by the Chief Administrative Officer or Designate to act on behalf of the County with regard to the County's Water and Wastewater systems;
- b. Council - Village of Rycroft Council;
- c. CAO - Chief Administrative Officer or Designate for the Village of Rycroft;
- d. Municipal Utility - the Village's Water and/or Wastewater Systems and services, not including the services on private property beyond the Customer's Point of Connection, unless otherwise identified in this Bylaw;
- e. Owner - a registered owner of a parcel of land;
- f. Service Connection - the part of the Village's Water or Wastewater System that runs from the Customer's Point of Connection to a building or other approved location on a parcel of land for the purpose of providing water or wastewater services to that parcel of land;
- g. Customer's Point of Connection - the location of the shut-off valve/curbstop at the property line or near a property line of a parcel of land; and for the wastewater, the point where the service is joined to the main line;
- h. Customer - the Owner or renter of the parcel of land to which a connection is made and/or a person or business that has an account with the Village of Rycroft;
- i. Code - the National Plumbing Code of Canada, the Safety Codes Act of Alberta - Plumbing Code Regulations, the Alberta Building Code, Public Health Act, any other applicable Federal/Provincial regulatory requirement, and/or the Village of Rycroft's General Municipal Standards;
- j. Meter or Meter Assembly - the valves, strainer, restrictor, meter, solenoid and other such apparatuses;
- k. Water System - the municipal water system, including water reservoirs, treatment facilities and distribution infrastructure;
- I. Wastewater System - the municipal sanitary sewer system, including collection, treatment systems and lagoons.
## 4. USE AND CONTROL OF THE WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
## a. Ownership
- i. The Village is the owner of the Municipal Utility, including any related infrastructure within any street, easement or Village property.
- ii. The property owner is the owner of any portion of the Water and Wastewater System Service Connections located on or under private property beyond the Customer's Point of Connection, with exception of a meter, a meter assembly, and a meter reading device.
- iii. The Village is the owner of the meter, meter assembly, and meter reading device.
## b. General Rules
- i. No person shall provide the same or similar type of utility outlined in this bylaw in the Village except as approved by Council.
- ii. All Water and Wastewater Systems must be constructed in accordance with the Code. If a conflict exists between portions of these documents, the document with the most restrictive applicable portion shall apply.
- ili. No person shall receive any Municipal Utility services without prior approval of the Village.
- iv. No person shall do any work upon or interfere in any way with the Municipal Utility system unless specifically authorized to do so by the CAO.
## c. General Responsibilities
- i. The Village:
1. shall have responsibility for any municipal water or wastewater treatment, distribution and collection systems, including related infrastructure within any street, easement or Village property from the water main and up to and including the Customer's Point of Connection;
2. does not guarantee the continuous uninterrupted supply of any Municipal Utility services and reserves the right to suspend the supply of a utility service at any time with or without a reasonable notice where required in the maintenance or operations of the municipal utility service;
3. shall not be liable for any damages of any kind due to or arising out of:
- a. a failure to provide a Municipal Utility service;
- b. the interruption of service due to maintenance or operational requirements, or due to reasons beyond the Village's control;
- c. the disconnection or removal of a Municipal Utility service in accordance with this Bylaw; or
- d. for any accident due to the operation of the Municipal Utility unless such accident is shown to be directly due to the gross negligence of the Village or its employees;
4. shall supply the meters/meters assembly and remote reading devices free of charge to the customers and these shall remain the property of the Village at all times; and
5. shall install all curb-stops, also referred to as the Customer's Point of Connection, at the property line at or near the property line of a parcel of land for all connections.
- ii. The CAO shall:
1. have all those powers to do all things necessary in order to fulfill the responsibilities and duties under the Municipal Government Act and this Bylaw.
- iii. An owner shall:
1. request a Municipal Utility service by applying to the Village for a Municipal Utility service account by completing an application form
- and/or a servicing agreement and providing such information as the Village may require;
2. where there is a new subdivision or development requiring a Municipal Utility service, apply for a Municipal Utility service upon submitting a completed subdivision or development permit application. If the subdivision application or development permit is approved, it may be subject to a development agreement being entered into by the applicant, which may contain provisions including but not limited to extending any Municipal Utility service;
3. have responsibility, including any cost of installation, for any portion of the lateral water and/or wastewater services located on or under private property and/or beyond the Customer's Point of Connection and/or as prescribed in this Bylaw;
4. at their own expense, maintain and repair all water and/or wastewater services utilities within their property lines, unless otherwise stated within this Bylaw and failure to do so may result in the following action(s) by the authorized personnel of the Village:
- a. discontinuation of service until the repairs have been completed to stop leakages;
- b. completion of the necessary repairs, the cost of which shall be assessed to the property owners);
- c. estimation of the volume of water loss or wastewater spill, the cost of which shall be assessed to the property owners).
- iv. A Customer shall not vend, sell or dispose of water, and shall not use or allow water obtained from the Village's Water System to be used:
1. in an unauthorized manner;
2. unless a Village utility account has been opened and approved; and
3. unless the water has first passed through a meter.
## 5. VILLAGE UTILITY
- a. Each dwelling and occupied building situated on land abutting the water and/or wastewater mains in the Village shall be connected to the Village Utility upon a request from the owner, subject to all required permits having been issued.
- b. A registered owner of a property requesting a municipal utility service in the Village shall apply for a Village Utility service. The establishment of a Village Utility Service account creates an agreement between the customer and the Village, of which the provisions of the application form and the terms of this Bylaw shall form a part
- c. Every Owner with a Village Utility connection shall:
- i. comply with all conditions of the Development Permit prior to receiving a Village Utility service connections;
- ii. be required to pay all connection fees that may be prescribed in the Village's Master Rates Bylaw, and such fee shall be paid in advance of the connection;
- ili. be responsible for all costs associated with the installation of the Service Connection lines and ongoing maintenance on or under the owner's property from the Customer's Point of Connection;
- iv. have all connections and installations completed in accordance with the Codes, using approved materials, and inspected by a certified plumber, and notify the Village for these to be inspected and approved by the Village prior to backfilling the trenches;
- v. have a backflow prevention device installed for all wastewater connections, unless permitted otherwise by an authorized Village personnel.
## 6. WATER METERING
- a. Every water Service Connection attached to the Village or Rural Water Utility shall be metered and the water consumed, as indicated by the Meter, shall be
- paid by the Customer in accordance with the Master Rates Bylaw and the Village's applicable payment collection policies, including all other applicable fees and charges for water and wastewater services. Any amount that becomes delinquent, including connection fees, may be added to the tax roll for the parcel of land, and be collected as a tax owing to the Village in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Government Act.
- b. The Customer shall provide access to the Meter for the purpose of reading, inspecting, or changing by a person authorized by the Village and shall be responsible to keep the Meter free from damage.
- C. The Customer must report any damage caused to the water Meter and/or remote reading devices and may be liable for any damage caused due to abuse, tampering, and freezing.
- d. All repairs necessary to Meters through normal operation and wear/tear shall be the Village's responsibility.
## 7. WASTEWATER SYSTEM
- a. Interceptors shall be installed for the collection of grease, oil, mud, and any other similar compound at the Owner's expense, for all commercial garages, restaurants, automotive service stations, and vehicle and equipment washing establishments, and for other similar businesses when required by the Regulations or, when Interceptors are necessary in the opinion of the Village to protect the Sanitary Sewer Main and for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, mud, or other similar substances.
- b. All Interceptors shall comply with the Regulations, shall be located readily and be easily accessible for cleaning and inspection, and shall be maintained in a satisfactory condition and effective operation by the Owner at his expense.
- C. All Interceptors shall be connected to the Sanitary Sewer Main unless the Village approves an alternate solution.
- d. A Control Manhole may be required when an Interceptor is installed as part of any commercial or industrial building constructed after the effective date of this Bylaw.
- e. Residential garages with Floor Drains connected to the Sanitary Sewer Main shall have a mud Interceptor of sufficient size and design to effectively trap solids, in compliance with the Regulations
- f. No Person shall use enzymes, bacteria, solvents, hot Water or other agents to facilitate passage of Oil and Grease, including Hydrocarbons through an Interceptor.
- g. No Person shall deposit, cause, or allow Interceptor residue to enter the Sanitary Sewer Main.
## 8. TRUCK FILLING STATIONS
- a. The Village's truck fills shall be made available for residential and commercial hauling at a rate established in the Village's Master Rate Bylaw.
- b. A Customer shall apply to open a secure prepaid account with the Village whenever a truck filling station is not coin operated.
- c. Any industrial use of the Village's potable water, such as fracking, contaminated tanks, etc. is prohibited.
- d. A Customer who causes damages to any truck filling station facility due to a neglectful use shall be liable to the Village for all costs to undertake corrective actions.
## 9. MUNICIPAL UTILITIES PROTECTION
- a. No water service connection of any kind shall be made unless such connection is metered and is approved in advance by the Village.
- b. No person shall turn, lift, remove, or tamper with the cover of any manhole, ventilator, or other appurtenance of any wastewater system, unless a person is authorized by the CAO or Designate.
- c. No person shall without the prior written approval from the Village, discharge, deposit, or cause or permit the discharge in the Village's Wastewater System the matters which may, because of its type, temperature or quantity:
- i. be or may become a health and safety hazard to any person;
- ill. cause the Village's Wastewater System's effluent or operation to contravene any federal, provincial or local legislation or requirement;
- ii. be or may become harmful to the Village's Wastewater System or its operation;
- iv. cause the restriction or blockage of the Village's Wastewater System;
- v. originated from a source separate from the Village's Water System and applicable water appurtenances, such as:
1. subsurface drainage including weeping tile drainage;
2. any site-remedial activities at spill sites or at petroleum leak sites;
3. hauled sewage in any amount.
- d. Any person who releases or causes or permits the release into any Village's Wastewater System any matter described in 7. c, shall:
- i. notify the Village immediately upon becoming aware of the release;
- ii. provide the Village with information respecting the release;
- ill. be liable for all costs incurred by the Village respecting the release containment, sampling, testing, removal, cleanup, disposal and any other related activity.
## 10. CONTRAVENTION
- a. A person who contravenes a provision of the Bylaw is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine in an amount as established in the Master Rates Bylaw plus any and all applicable associated costs, including estimated water consumption
- b. The Village's Bylaw Enforcement Officer may issue a violation ticket to any person who the bylaw enforcement has reasonable and probable grounds to believe has contravened any provision of this Bylaw.
- c. A violation ticket issued with respect to a contravention of this Bylaw shall be served upon the person responsible for the contravention in accordance with the Provincial Offences Procedure Act.
## 11. SEVERABILITY
Despite that any section or sections of this Bylaw, or any part or parts thereof, may be found by any court of law to be invalid or illegal that section or sections or part or parts thereof, shall be deemed to be severable, and all other sections of this Bylaw, or parts thereof, are separate and independent there-from and enacted as such.
## 12. OTHER BYLAWS REPEALED OR AMENDED
This Bylaw repeals Bylaw 201-19 Water and Wastewater bylaw, and will come into force on the date of third and final reading.
READ A FIRST TIME this 4th day of August 2021.
READ A SECOND TIME this 4th day of August 2021.
READ A THIRD TIME this 4th day of August 2021.
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tutu towa
Chief Administrative Officer