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THE CORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE OF ASHCROFT BYLAW
NO. 881, 2026
_________________________________ __________________________________________________
A Bylaw to Regulate Water Connections, Operations, Water Meters, and Charges
_________________________________________________________________________________
WHEREAS Pursuant to Section 194 of the Community Charter, Council may regulate, prohibit, and impose
requirements in relation to municipal services;
AND WHEREAS the Council of the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft wishes to update its water
regulations to authorize the installation of Water Meters and modernize administration of the Public
Water System;
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft, in open meeting assembled,
enacts as follows:
1.
CITATION
1.1
This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as "The Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft Water
Regulations Bylaw No. 881, 2026."
2.
REPEAL
2.1 Bylaw No. 797, cited as "The Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft Water Regulations Bylaw No.
797, 2015", and all amendments thereto, are hereby repealed.
3.
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
3.1
In this Bylaw, unless otherwise stated, when words or phrases that are defined in this section are used in
the body of this Bylaw, they have the following meaning:
"Building" means any and all structures used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or
occupancy.
"CAO" means the Chief Administrative Officer of the Village of Ashcroft, or their designate.
"Council" means the Council of the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft.
"Contractor" means a person or entity authorized by the Village to perform work on its behalf.
"Curb Stop" means the shut-off valve installed on the Public Water Line, typically located at or near the
property line, which allows the Village to turn the Water Service to a Premises on or off.
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"Director" means Director of Public Works for the Village, or their designate.
"Fees and Charges Bylaw" means the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft Fees and Charges
Bylaw.
"Occupier" includes an Owner, a tenant, lessee, user, agent, and any other person who has a right of access
to, possession, and control of Premises to which this Bylaw applies;
"Owner" means the registered Owner of real property and includes their agent and any other person
deemed by law to be the owner.
"Owner's Water Line" means the water pipe extending from the Owner's property line to the Owner's
Building and plumbing system on the property.
"Pit Meter" means a type of Water Meter housed in an underground pit or vault for measuring water
flow.
"Premises" means the whole or any part of a lot of real property and any Building on the real property.
"Public Water Line" means a Village-owned and maintained pipe used to distribute potable water
within the Public Water System.
"Public Water System" means the Village's potable water supply and distribution system, including,
without limitation, all mains, pipes, appurtenances, Water Meters, and fixtures of any kind.
"Village" means the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft.
"Service Connection" means a physical connection of a water pipe extending from the Public Water
Line or Curb Stop to a Premises for the purpose of conveying potable water from the Public Water
System to that Premises.
"Water Service" means the supply of potable water from the Public Water System to a Premises.
"Water Meter" means a device approved by the Village for measuring water flow, and for clarity, all
references to Water Meter in this Bylaw include Pit Meters, except where the context requires otherwise.
3.2
If any provision of this Bylaw is found to be invalid, the remainder will remain in force and
effect.
3.3
Words or phrases defined in the British Columbia Interpretation Act, Community Charter, or Local
Government Act, or any successor legislation will have the same meaning when used in this Bylaw unless
otherwise defined in this Bylaw.
3.4
Any enactment referred to herein is a reference to a provincial or federal enactment, as the case may
be, as amended, revised, consolidated, or replaced from time to time, and any bylaw or Village standard or
policy referred to herein (as may be cited by short title or otherwise) is a reference to a bylaw, standard, or
policy of the Village, as amended, revised, consolidated, or replaced from time to time.
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4.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
4.1
No person may connect to, interfere with, alter, or obstruct any part of the Public Water
System except as authorized in writing by the Village.
4.2
The Village is not responsible for the cost of any work performed on private Premises in
connection with the provision of Water Service.
5.
NO UNAUTHORIZED CONNECTION OR USE
5.1
No person may connect to, allow a connection to be made to, or permit a connection to continue to
exist from their Premises to the Public Water System, except as authorized by this Bylaw or as explicitly
authorized in writing by the CAO or the Director.
5.2
No person may tamper with, damage, remove, bypass, or interfere with any part of the Public Water
System, including, without limitation, any Water Meter, without first obtaining written approval from the CAO
or the Director.
6.
RIGHT OF ACCESS
6.1
The Village, through its employees, agents, and Contractors, is entitled to enter, at all
reasonable times, any Premises and any Buildings thereon that are serviced by the Public Water System
for the purpose of:
a)
installing, inspecting, repairing, maintaining, replacing, or removing any portion of the Public
Water System, including, without limitation, any Water Meters;
b)
locating, accessing, or servicing the main water shut-off valve for the Premises;
c)
inspecting any works related to the Water Service, including, without limitation, any works
constructed, installed, or maintained on the Premises after the point of connection at the Curb
Stop;
d)
inspecting to determine whether the provisions of this Bylaw are being complied with; and
e)
remedying any conditions the CAO or the Director consider may impact public health or safety.
6.2
Owners and Occupiers must maintain safe and unobstructed access to all areas of the Premises and all
Buildings on the Premises, including, without limitation, the main water shut-off, any exterior standpipes and
hose bibs, and the approved Water Meter location.
6.3
If anyone refuses or obstructs access under this Bylaw, the Village may issue written notice directing
the Owner or Occupier to comply. If the Owner or Occupier does not provide access after receiving written
notice, the Village may, in addition to any other remedy under this Bylaw, discontinue Water Service to the
Premises until such time as access is provided in compliance with this Bylaw.
7.
WATER METERS - GENERAL
7.1
The Village may require the installation of a Water Meter on any Premises supplied with water
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from the Public Water System.
7.2
Only the Village and its Contractors are authorized to inspect, maintain, repair, and replace Water
Meters.
7.3
All Water Meters installed under this Bylaw remain the property of the Village.
7.4
No person may install, permit, or maintain any additional Service Connection, branch, or take-off
between the Curb Stop and the Water Meter, or otherwise bypass a Water Meter, except as expressly
authorized in writing by the CAO or the Director.
8.
WATER METER LOCATION AND TYPE
8.1
The standard Water Meter required by the Village is an indoor 19 mm Water Meter. All Water
Meters must be installed in a location and in the manner approved by the Village in writing.
8.2
The Village does not use Pit Meters as its standard installation.
8.3
If an Owner requests a Pit Meter instead of the standard indoor Water Meter, the Owner is
responsible for all additional costs associated with supplying and installing the Pit Meter as calculated by
the Village.
8.4
The Owner must pay the full cost difference between the purchase and installation of a standard
indoor Water Meter and the Pit Meter in advance of installation, in accordance with the Village's Fees
and Charges Bylaw.
9.
WATER RATES, FEES, AND PAYMENT
9.1
The Village does not currently use volumetric water billing.
9.2
Water Meters are installed for the following purposes:
a) system monitoring and management;
b) leak detection;
c) water loss analysis; and
d) future planning.
9.3
Until Council adopts a volumetric rate structure by bylaw, all Premises will continue to be billed on
a flat-rate basis in accordance with the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
9.4
All water rates, discounts, connection and reconnection fees, charges, and other fees of any kind
established under this Bylaw are those specified in the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
9.5
Water fees will be billed annually.
9.6
Non-receipt of a water utility invoice does not exempt a person from paying for the Water Service.
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9.7
Any water fees that remain unpaid after December 31 in the year in which they are imposed will be
added to and form part of the taxes payable in respect of the Premise and will be collected in the same manner
as property taxes.
10.
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
10.1 Owners must, at their own expense, maintain all Owner's Water Lines and other plumbing works
of any kind in a state of good repair and proper working order.
10.2 Owners must, at their own expense, install and maintain:
a) pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) that comply with applicable standards of the Canadian
Standards Association for domestic water PRVs; and
b) shut-off valves in accordance with applicable requirements of the Plumbing Code.
11.
DISCONNECTION AND RECONNECTION
11.1 Where an Owner or Occupier contravenes this Bylaw, or where the CAO or the Director
determines that it is in the public interest to do so, the Village may reduce the flow of water to the
Premises or discontinue or disconnect the Water Service to the Premises.
11.2 The Village may also disconnect the Water Service to a Premises for:
a) non-payment of any fees, charges, or penalties imposed under this Bylaw;
b) failure to provide access as required under this Bylaw; or
c) any contravention of this Bylaw.
11.3 In the event the Village disconnects the Water Service under section 11.1 or 11.2, the Owner will be
responsible for all costs of such disconnection and any reconnection, in accordance with the Fees and
Charges Bylaw.
12.
COMPLIANCE ORDERS
12.1 In addition to any other authority granted under this Bylaw, if the CAO or the Director finds that:
a) any provision of this Bylaw has been contravened or not complied with;
b) any provision of this Bylaw has been improperly complied with or only in part; or
c) a condition exists that poses a risk to the Public Water System,
the CAO or the Director may issue a written "order to comply" requiring such measures as are necessary to
achieve full compliance with this Bylaw. Without limiting the foregoing, such order may require any person to
take or refrain from taking any action necessary to remedy the contravention, ensure compliance, or remove
the risk to the Public Water System.
13. DIRECT ACTION AND COST RECOVERY
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13.1 A person who is issued an order to comply under section 12.1 must satisfy the requirements within the
time specified therein.
13.2 If the obligations imposed by the terms of an order to comply under section 12.1 are not performed
within the time period set out therein, the Village, by its employees, agents, and Contractors, may at all
reasonable times and in a reasonable manner enter the Premises to which the order applies and bring about
such compliance at the cost of the Owner and/or the Occupier, all of which said costs will be calculated and
invoiced as service fees in accordance with the Fees and Charges Bylaw. Such service fees will consist of all costs
and expenses incurred by the Village to achieve full compliance with this Bylaw, including, without limitation: a)
administrative costs; b) the costs of attending the Premises by Village employees and Contractors; c) the costs of
equipment, removal, cleanup, and disposal; and d) the cost of repairs to damaged Village equipment, vehicles,
or property.
13.3 Where a person has, in the opinion of the CAO or the Director, damaged, misused, or abused, any part of
the Public Water System, then, in addition to any other penalty or remedy imposed under this Bylaw, the CAO or
the Director may order that any applicable repairs and/or replacements be undertaken by the Village, through
its employees, agents, or Contractors, at the person's expense and the person must pay the cost of such repairs
as service fees.
13.4 If an Owner or Occupier defaults in paying the service fees referred to in section Error! Reference source
not found. or 13.3 within thirty (30) days after receipt of demand for payment from the Village, the Village may
either:
a) recover the service fees from the Owner and/or Occupier of the Premises in any court of competent
jurisdiction, as a debt due to the Village; or
b) direct that the amount of the service fees be added to and form part of the property taxes as a
charge imposed in respect of work done or services provided in relation to the land or
improvements.
14.
INFRACTIONS AND PENALTIES
14.1 A person who:
a) contravenes any provision of this Bylaw;
b) consents to, permits, suffers, or allows any act or thing to be done in contravention of this Bylaw; or
c) neglects, refrains from, or fails to do anything required by any provision of this Bylaw;
commits an offence under this Bylaw.
14.2 Upon conviction of an offence under this Bylaw, a person will be liable:
a) if issued a notice under the Corporation of the Village of Ashcroft Notice of Enforcement Bylaw No.
845, 2023, to pay a fine of not more than $500; or
b) if proceedings are brought under the Offence Act, to pay a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars
($500.00) and not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00), and any further amounts that may
be ordered by the court under the Community Charter or the Offence Act.
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14.3 Any fee, charge, penalty, or other remedy imposed pursuant to this Bylaw will be in addition to, and
not in substitution for, any other fee, charge, penalty, or remedy imposed pursuant to any other applicable
statute, law, or regulation. Nothing in this Bylaw limits the authority of the Village to enforce this Bylaw
by any lawful means.
14.4 Each day that a contravention of this Bylaw continues constitutes a separate and distinct offence.
15.
SERVICE OF NOTICES AND COMPLIANCE ORDERS
15.1 Service of a notice or an order made under this Bylaw will be deemed to be sufficient:
a) in the case of the Owner of the Premises, on the day on which it is personally delivered, or on the
fifth business day after being mailed by regular post to the address shown on the current year's
property assessment roll; and
b) in the case of the Occupier of the Premises or any Building thereon, on the day on which it is
personally delivered, or the day on which it is posted on the Building, or on the fifth business day
after being mailed by regular post to the address of the Building.
15.2 If a notice or an order has been posted in accordance with section 15.1, no person may remove, deface, or
destroy the notice or the order.
READ A FIRST TIME THIS
12TH
DAY OF
JANUARY
,2026
READ A SECOND TIME THIS
12TH
DAY OF
JANUARY
,2026
LEGAL REVIEW THIS 9TH
DAY OF FEBRUARY ,2026
READ A THIRD TIME THIS 9th
DAY OF FEBRUARY ,2026
ADOPTED THIS 23rd
DAY OF FEBRUARY ,2026
Certified to be a true copy of
Bylaw No. 881, 2026 as adopted
Barbara Roden,
by Council.
Mayor
Daniela Dyck
Corporate Office