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unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
Consolidated Version
of
the Storm Sewer Bylaw
(being Bylaw No. 6/2003 of the City of St. Albert, as amended by Bylaw No.
45/2018, 5/2019, 45/2019, 43/2020, 58/2021, 37/2022, 26/2023 and 32/2024
consolidated and printed under the authority of the Chief Administrative Officer of the
City of St. Albert)
This is certified to be a true copy of consolidated
Bylaw No. 6/2003 of the City of St. Albert.
_______________________________________
Marta Caufield
Director of Legal, Legislative and Records Services
Chief Legislative Officer
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 2)
STORM SEWER BYLAW
NUMBER
1ST READING
2ND READING
3RD READING
PASSED
6/2003
February 3
February 18
February 18
1
35/2003
December 18
December 22
December 22
2
22/2004
December 13
December 13
December 13
3
47/2005
December 12
December 12
December 12
4
38/2006
December 11
December 11
December 11
5
32/2008
December 22
December 22
December 22
6
43/2009
December 14/09
December 14
December 14
7
43/2010
December 20
December 20
December 20
8
45/2011
December 19
December 19
December 19
9
31/2012
December 17
December 17
December 17
10
35/2013
December 16
December 16
December 16
11
38/2014
December 15
December 15
December 15
12
36/2015
December 14
December 14
December 14
13
28/2016
December 12
December 12
December 12
14
48/2017
December 18
December 18
December 18
15
45/2018
December 17
December 17
December 17
16
5/2019
January 21/19
January 21/19
January 21/19
17
45/2019
December 16, 2019
December 16, 2019
December 16, 2019
18
43/2020
December 21, 2020
December 21, 2020
December 21, 2020
19
58/2021
December 20, 2021
December 20, 2021
December 20, 2021
20
37/2022
December 20, 2022
December 20, 2022
December 20, 2022
21
26/2023
December 19, 2023
December 19, 2023
December 19, 2023
22
32/2024
December 17, 2024
December 17, 2024
December 17, 2024
23
25/2025
December 16, 2025
December 16, 2025
December 16, 2025
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 3)
The text shown in parentheses in various locations throughout this document identifies the
corresponding amending bylaw which authorized the change. For example (BL 5/2019) refers to
Bylaw No. 5/2019.
CITY OF ST. ALBERT
BYLAW 6/2003
A Bylaw to establish a storm sewer utility in the City of St. Albert
_____________________
Title
1.
This Bylaw may be referred to as "The St. Albert Storm Sewer Bylaw."
Definitions
2.
(1)
(a)
"adjacent" means contiguous, abutting or having a common
border;
(a.1) "Chief Administrative Officer" or "CAO" means the individual
appointed by Council to the position of Chief Administrative
Officer under section 205 of the Municipal Government Act
and pursuant to the Chief Administrative Officer Bylaw;
(BL 5/2019)
(b)
"City" means the municipal corporation of the City of St.
Albert or where the context so requires, the area contained
within the boundaries of the City;
(c)
"City Engineer" means the person designated by the CAO as
the City Engineer, and if no person is designated, the CAO;
(BL 5/2019)
(d)
"City's storm sewer system" means the City-owned storm
sewers and third pipe system, the City-owned storm water
drainage or management facilities (including storm water
retention facilities), and drainage channels;
(e)
"Customer" means a person who receives a supply of
potable water from the City under The St. Albert Water
Bylaw 5/2001, as amended and any successor bylaws;
(f)
"development" means a building or an addition to or
replacement or repair of a building and the construction or
placing of any of them on, in, over or under land;
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 4)
(g)
"Director" means the person designated by the CAO as the
Director of Finance and Assessment, and if no person is
designated, the CAO; (BL 5/2019)
(h)
"drainage channels" means any natural or man-made
drainage path that conveys storm water. This includes, but
is not limited to, drainage swales (whether on City-owned
land or within utility rights-of-way or easements), ravines,
roadways, ditches, and drainage pathways;
(i)
"private storm water drainage system" means any system of
pipes, pump stations, ponds, holding tanks or ditches
located on privately owned land to collect, direct, store and
release storm water generated from private property;
(j)
"registered owner" means the person in whose name the fee
simple title to a parcel of land is registered under the Land
Titles Act;
(k)
"storm sewer" means a pipe and any attachments or pipes
owned by the City and located on City property or in City
utility rights of way used to carry storm water;
(l)
"storm sewer service connection" means the piping and
associated connections that connect a private storm water
drainage system, which includes a foundation drainage
system, to the City's storm sewer or third pipe system;
(m)
"storm sewer use fee" means the storm sewer use fee billed
to a Customer in accordance with this Bylaw;
(n)
"storm water" means surface water that is the result of
natural precipitation, water from foundation drainage and the
discharge from drainage channels, City-owned storm water
drainage or management facilities and private storm water
drainage systems;
(o)
"third pipe system" means a pipe and any attachments or
pipes owned by the City and located on City property or in
City utility rights of way used to carry storm water from
adjacent residential development;
(p)
"utility bill" means a billing statement for utilities provided by
the City, which includes a storm sewer charge.
(2)
Schedule "A" forms part of this Bylaw.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 5)
PART 1
Protecting the City's Storm Sewer System
3.
(1)
It is unlawful:
(a)
to release or permit the release of any liquid other than
storm water from foundation, rooftop or yard drainage into
the City's storm sewer system; or
(b)
to alter or impede the passage of storm water in the City's
storm sewer system.
(2)
For the purposes of subsection (1)(a), a person is deemed to
release or permit the release of a liquid into a storm sewer if the
person releases the liquid or permits the release of the liquid onto
the ground or into a private storm water drainage system.
(3)
If a person breaches subsection (1) that person must, in addition to
any penalty that may be imposed under Section 23, indemnify the
City for the cost of repair of any damage to the City's storm sewer
system and for any fine or penalty imposed on the City by Alberta
Environmental Protection or any other regulatory agency.
PART 2
Connecting to the City's Storm Sewer System
City Engineer's Authority
4.
(1)
The City Engineer has the power and authority to do all things
necessary for the construction, maintenance and management of
the City's storm sewer system.
(2)
The City Engineer may delegate the City Engineer's powers and
duties under this Bylaw to one or more employees or agents of the
City.
(3)
The City Engineer may establish standards and policies for the
design, construction and maintenance of the City's storm sewer
system and any connection to the City's storm sewer system.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 6)
No Connection without Approval
5.
A person shall not connect any piping or fixture to the City's storm sewer
system without first obtaining the approval of the City Engineer under
Section 7.
Obligation to Connect to City's Third Pipe System
6.
(1)
If a parcel of land is adjacent to the City's third pipe system, no
development can take place on that parcel unless the registered
owner connects the parcel's foundation drainage to the City's third
pipe system in accordance with this Bylaw.
(2)
The City Engineer may waive the requirement in subsection (1) and
may impose conditions on any waiver.
(3)
In this Section, development and adjacent have the same meaning
that they have in Part 17 of the Municipal Government Act.
Application for Connection to the City's Storm Sewer System
7.
(1)
A person who wishes to connect any piping to the City's storm
sewer system, must first apply to the City Engineer for approval.
(2)
An application under subsection (1) must include:
(a)
if required by the City Engineer, construction drawings
identifying the proposed connection, associated piping,
fittings and installations, and any other information required
by the City Engineer;
(b)
the applicant's interest in the land;
(c)
payment of any offsite levies or any other outstanding
amounts in relation to the property that are due to the City;
and
(d)
payment of any amounts due under Development
Agreements in relation to the property.
(3)
For the purposes of subsection (2)(a), the City Engineer may
require:
(a)
drawings showing and information relating to:
(i)
the size and type of materials of the piping, fittings
and installations,
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 7)
(ii)
the depth at which the pipe will be buried,
(iii)
the grade on which the piping will be installed;
(iv)
design calculations including design rainfall event,
runoff coefficients, peak and volume calculations; and
(v)
computer simulation for determining flow rates for
properties larger than twenty (20) hectares, and
(b)
any other drawing or information that the City Engineer
considers necessary to ensure compliance with this Bylaw,
the safe and effective operation of the City's storm sewer
system and the collection of storm water.
Approval of Connection to the City's Storm Sewer System
8.
(1)
The City Engineer shall approve an application under Section 7 if:
(a)
the City Engineer is satisfied with the proposed design,
connection, associated piping and installations;
(b)
the applicant is the registered owner of the parcel of land to
be served by the connection or the agent of the registered
owner;
(c)
the parcel of land is adjacent to the City's storm sewer
system; and
(d)
the lands are located within the City.
(2)
The City Engineer may impose conditions on an approval under
subsection (1) to ensure compliance with this Bylaw.
Other Requirements Continue to Apply
9.
An approval granted under this Bylaw does not relieve the applicant from
the obligation to obtain approvals required under any other enactment and
compliance with any other enactment, including but not limited to the
Safety Codes Act.
Applicant Responsible for Costs
10.
(1)
If an application for a connection is approved, the applicant is
responsible for all costs associated with connecting the applicant's
storm sewer service connection to the City's storm sewer system.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 8)
(2)
The costs for which an applicant is responsible under subsection
(1) include not only the cost of works on the applicant's land but
also any works on City land or on the City's storm sewer system
necessary to make the connection to the City's storm sewer
system.
Owner's Responsibilities
11.
(1)
The registered owner of the land must maintain the private storm
water drainage system and storm sewer service connection, if any,
at the registered owner's expense.
(2)
The registered owner's obligations under subsection (1) include but
are not limited to:
(a)
maintaining the private storm water drainage system and
any storm sewer service connection in a state of good repair;
(b)
protecting the private storm water drainage system and any
storm sewer service connection from freezing or damage of
any other sort; and
(c)
ensuring that the private storm water drainage system and
any storm sewer service connection do not leak.
Interrupting the Provision of Storm Sewer Services
12.
(1)
Despite anything in this Bylaw, the City Engineer may interrupt the
provision of storm sewer services through storm sewers or the third
pipe system for:
(a)
construction of, maintenance or repairs to the City's storm
sewer system or other utility, or
(b)
as a result of any emergency.
(2)
In interrupting the provision of storm sewer services under
subsection (1), the City Engineer may do so in respect of:
(a)
a single Customer;
(b)
a number of Customers;
(c)
all Customers in a part of the City; or
(d)
all Customers.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 9)
PART 3
Storm Sewer Use Fee
Director Authority
(BL 5/2019)
13.
(1)
The Director is responsible for the administration and enforcement
of this Bylaw, including: (BL 5/2019)
(a)
issuing a utility bill under this Bylaw; and
(b)
collecting fees, charges or other amounts payable under this
Bylaw.
(2)
The Director may delegate the Director's powers and duties under
this Bylaw to one or more employees or agents of the City.
(BL 5/2019)
General Obligations of the Customer
14.
(1)
The Customer must:
(a)
give the City Engineer and the Director access to the
Customer's property for the purpose of inspecting any storm
sewer service connection; and (BL 5/2019)
(b)
maintain the private storm water drainage system and any
storm sewer service connection.
(2)
If a Customer is not the registered owner of the land, the
obligations under subsection (1) are joint obligations of the
Customer and registered owner.
Customer's Obligation to Pay Storm Sewer Use Fee
15.
Each Customer must pay the monthly storm sewer use fee calculated in
accordance with Schedule "A".
Utility Bill to Include Storm Sewer Use Fee
16.
(1)
The City can bill the Customer for storm sewer use fees using a
utility bill that includes the billing for storm sewer use fees with the
charges for other utilities supplied to the Customer.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 10)
(2)
If a payment is made on account of a utility bill, but that payment
does not cover all components of that bill, the payment must be
apportioned pro rata amongst the components of the bill.
(3)
A payment by a Customer is applied:
(a)
to any outstanding late payment charges first;
(b)
then to utility bills in the order in which they were rendered;
and
(c)
finally, to any current amount due.
Payment of Bill for Storm Sewer Use Fee
17.
(1)
The Customer must pay the storm sewer use fee in full within
twenty-one (21) days of the date that the City specifies as the billing
date on the Customer's utility bill.
(2)
For the purposes of subsection (1), the Director must specify a
billing date for each utility bill, which must be at least two (2) days
after the date that the utility bill is mailed to the Customer.
(BL 5/2019)
(3)
The Customer may pay the utility bill either at:
(a)
City Hall, during City Hall's usual office hours; or
(b)
any other place or in any other manner specified by the
Director on the utility bill. (BL 5/2019)
(4)
If a utility bill is not paid twenty-one (21) days after the date shown
as the billing date, a late payment charge as set out in Schedule "A"
is added to the unpaid amount for that billing period.
(5)
Subject to subsection (6), the amount added under subsection (4)
forms part of the storm sewer use fee for all purposes.
(6)
The Director must not include a late payment charge from one
billing period in the calculation of a late payment charge in a
subsequent billing period. (BL 5/2019)
(7)
The City is not obliged to waive payment of a storm sewer use fee
or a late payment charge because a Customer did not receive the
utility bill or mislaid it.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 11)
Application of Deposit
18.
(1)
If a Customer has posted a deposit for any utility service, the City
may apply the deposit to any amount that is in arrears for storm
sewer use fees or any other amount owing under this Bylaw.
(2)
No interest is payable by the City on a deposit.
Enforcement of Amounts Owing
19.
The City may enforce payment of any amount owing under this Bylaw by:
(a)
adding the amount owing to the tax roll, if the Customer is the
registered owner of the land;
(b)
disconnecting the water supply to the Customer;
(c)
taking action in any court of competent jurisdiction; or
(d)
all or any of the above.
Billing Errors
(BL 25/2025)
19.1 (1)
If the City issues a utility bill that contains an error in calculation of
the storm sewer fees charged, the City may issue a supplementary
utility bill that corrects the error and:
(a)
charges the Customer any additional amount owing if the
error understated the storm sewer charge; and
(b)
refunds to the customer any amount which the Customer
has overpaid if the error overstated the storm sewer charge.
(2)
In the case of an overpayment by the Customer, the Director may
instead of refunding an amount to the Customer set it off against a
future utility bill.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 12)
PART 4
General
Authority Complete
20.
If there is any overlap between the authority granted to the Director and to
the City Engineer under this Bylaw, either may exercise the authority.
(BL 5/2019)
Scope of Delegation
21.
Power that is delegated under this Bylaw may be delegated to one or
more persons who may exercise the power concurrently.
Limitation on City's Liability
22.
(1)
If there is a storm sewer service connection to privately owned
property, the City is responsible only for the City's storm sewer
system to the point of connection with the storm sewer service
connection at the owner's property line.
(2)
The City is not responsible for any private storm sewer fixtures,
private storm water drainage systems, storm water management
facilities located on privately owned property or for storm sewer
service connections or for the consequences of any failure of any
connection to the City's storm sewer system.
Offence
23.
(1)
Any person who contravenes:
(a)
any of Sections 3, 5, 6(1), 11, 14(1)(a), 14(1)(b) or 24 of this
Bylaw; or
(b)
a condition of an approval under this Bylaw
is guilty of an offence.
(2)
Every day during which a contravention continues is deemed to be
a separate offence.
(3)
A person who commits an offence under this Bylaw is liable to a
fine up to:
(a)
$1,000.00 for a first offence; and
(b)
$2,500.00 for each subsequent offence.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 13)
24.
(1)
No person may operate a system for the collection of storm water
within the City that is similar to that operated by the City, unless
that person first obtains the written consent of the City Engineer.
(2)
Any consent granted under subsection (1) may include conditions.
BYLAW 6/2003 (Page 14)
SCHEDULE "A"
Development
Storm Sewer Use Fee
2026
1. Where potable water is supplied to the
Customer for use within a Single Family
Residence.
$16.39 per month (BL 26/2023)
2. Where potable water is supplied to the
Customer for use within a development
containing more than one (1) residential unit
but each residential unit is accessible from
ground level and the residential units are not
stacked or located on more than one (1)
storey.
$16.39 per residential unit per
month (BL 26/2023)
3. Where potable water is supplied to the
Customer for use within a development
containing more than one (1) residential unit
and the units are stacked.
$11.24 per residential unit per
month (BL 26/2023)
4. Where potable water is supplied to the
Customer for use within a commercial
development.
$43.09 per commercial operation
within the development per month
5. Where potable water is supplied to the
Customer for use within an industrial
development.
$43.09 per month
6. Late Payment Charge
2.5% of the amount of the utility bill
that is unpaid twenty-one (21) days
after the billing date
7. Supplemental Capital Contribution
$1.64 per month (BL 26/2023, BL
32/2024, 25/2025)
(BL 45/2019, BL 43/2020, BL 58/2021, BL 37/2022, BL 26/2023, BL 32/2024, BL
25/2025)