Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System Bylaw No. 1082, 2025 — full text, Burns Lake, British Columbia

This is an automated transcription (OCR) of the captured official document — minor recognition errors are possible; the source document governs. Snapshot bca0c5807f01 · verified 2026-10-18 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

Village of Burns Lake Bylaw No. 1082, 2025 Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System Bylaw ## THE CORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE OF BURNS LAKE Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System Bylaw No. 1082, 2025 A Bylaw of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake to regulate connections, discharge and use of sanitary sewers and storm drainage systems, as well as to regulate fees associated with those connections within the Village of Burns Lake. WHEREAS the village of Burns Lake has constructed and is operating and maintaining a sanitary and storm drainage system for the benefit of the residents of the Municipality; AND WHEREAS all lands and real property within the Municipality that require the service and are capable of being connected to sanitary and storm drainage systems, should be served and connected as soon as possible; AND WHEREAS it is necessary from time to time to extend said systems to provide service to other residents and properties of the Municipality: AND WHEREAS it is necessary for the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake to regulate the connections to and any extensions to the sanitary sewer and drainage system and to impose rates and fees in relation to the system; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the Village of Burns Lake in an open meeting assembled, hereby enacts as follows: ## 1. Citation This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the "Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System Bylaw No. 1082, 2025". ## 2. Repeal of Bylaw The "Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage Regulation Bylaw No. 840, 2005" is hereby repealed. ## 3. Application of the Bylaw Except as otherwise indicated, this bylaw applies to all sanitary sewers and storm drainages that make up the Village of Burns Lake Sanitary Sewers and Storm Drainage System. ## 4. Interpretation - (1) Any Bylaw referred to herein is a reference to an enactment of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake as amended, revised, consolidated, or replaced from time to time. - (2) Unless otherwise defined in the Bylaw, a word or expression has the meaning assigned to it in the Local Government Act, Local Government Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act, Interpretation Act, Community Charter or any other successor legislation. ## 5. Severance If a section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this bylaw is for any reason held to be invalid by the decision of a Court of competent jurisdiction, it may be severed, and such severance will not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this bylaw. ## 6. Definitions "Applicant" means an owner or his/her agent making an application for a service connection to the owner's property. "B.O.D." (denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at 20 degrees Celsius expressed in parts per million by weight. "Building Inspector" means the building inspector of the Municipality or a duly authorized representative. "Building Sewer" means the sanitary sewer pipe or storm drainage pipe and all attached appurtenances installed, owned and maintained by the owner connecting the service connection at the property line to the plumbing system of the building located on that property. "Capable of Connection" means that a parcel of land abuts a street, lane, public right of way or easement upon which there is a sewer and where the service connection will have the required cover at the property line and will gravity drain towards the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system. "Council" means the Municipal Council of the Village of Burns Lake. "Director of Public Works" means the person appointed by Council as such and any person designated to assist them in the carrying out of their duties as they pertain to this Bylaw. "Garbage" means solid waste from the preparation, cooking and dispensing or from the handling, storage and sale of meat and produce. "Metered Accounts" means those water accounts billed monthly and of which the consumption is measured through a device commonly known as a water meter. "Municipality" means the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake. "Owner" means the owner of real property within the municipal boundary of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake. "Person" means and shall include not only the natural person but also a corporation, firm or partnership. "Properly Ground Garbage" means the waste from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, ground to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sanitary sewers. "Sanitary Sewer" means all sanitary sewerage works and all attached appurtenances owned and operated by the Municipality, including sewers, service connections, pumping stations, sewage treatment facilities and sewer outfalls laid within any highway, municipal right-of-way, easement or municipal property. "Service Connection" means the sewer pipe extending from the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system to the property line of the property connected to or to be connected to the sewer system. "Sewerage" means water-carried wastes from residences, buildings, businesses, institutions and industrial establishments. "Storm Drainage System" means all storm drainage system works and all attached appurtenances owned and operated by the Municipality, including sewers, open drainage ditches, service connections and sewer outfalls laid within any highway, municipal right-of-way, easement or municipal property. ## 7. Illegal Service Connection No person shall connect or attempt to be connected or allow to remain connected to the sewer system, any property or building except as in accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw. ## 8. Connection Application Each application for a service connection must be made to the Municipality by the applicant in the form prescribed in Schedule "A" attached to and forming part of this Bylaw. Such owner must, upon making the application, pay to the Municipality the connection fee as prescribed in Schedule "H" of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Fees and Charges Bylaw as amended from time to time. If the proposed connection is practicable, the Director of Public Works will, within ninety (90) days, weather permitting, provide and install a service connection to the applicant's property. If such connection cannot be approved for any reason, the Director of Public Works shall notify the applicant within sixty days of the service connection application and the Municipality shall refund the charges and fees paid by the applicant. ## 9. Individual Connections - (1) The owner of a property upon which is located an occupied building or structure, that is capable of a connection must connect or cause to be connected the building or structure to the service connection within the period specified in written notice from the Director of Public Works. The period specified in the notice shall not be less than 60 days and not - (2) Each property capable of connection shall have its own service connection which shall be installed by the Municipality or an approved designate. Where two or more buildings exist on one parcel, only one set of service connections to the property line will be permitted. Where such a parcel can be further subdivided, at the discretion of the Director of Public Works, each building may be provided with an individual set of service connections to the property line. ## 10. Service Connection Location - (2) All new or replacement building sewer services shall be separated from potable water by a horizontal distance of 3 metres (minimum). - (1) Where possible, the service connection shall be located at the location requested by the applicant. In the event the applicant's preferred location is not practicable due to the existence of installed surface improvements or conflicts with other installed underground utilities, the Director of Public Works shall designate the location of each service connection. ## 11. Service Connection Size Service connections shall be sized according to the intended land use of the property or building serviced. Service connection shall meet current Municipal standards and specifications for such works. In no case, however, shall the service connection size be less than 100 millimetres in diameter. ## 12. Compulsory Service Connections - (1) Where any surface improvements are scheduled for installation by the Municipality, and prior to the work being commenced, the Director of Public Works may order that a service connection be installed to any property abutting such street, and regardless of whether or not any improvement is constructed on the property. - (2) A connection fee as provided in Schedule "H" of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Fees and Charges Bylaw, as amended from time to time, shall then be levied against the property and such costs shall be recovered in accordance with provisions of this Bylaw. ## 13. Tampering with Sanitary Sewer or Storm Drainage Systems - (1) A person must not make any connections whatsoever to the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system without first obtaining written permission from the Director of Public Works as per Schedule "A" attached to this Bylaw. - (2) A person must not discharge, deposit, throw, allow or permit to be discharged, deposited or thrown into any sewer, or plumbing fixtures connected to the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system, drain, manhole, inspection chamber or any other part of the sewer system, any substances of any kind whatsoever tending to obstruct or injure the sewer system or cause any nuisance, or which will in any manner interfere with the proper functioning, maintenance or repair of the said sewer system. - (3) A person must not maliciously, willfully, or negligently cause damage, destroy, uncover, deface, mar or tamper with any of the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system or appurtenances attached thereto. ## 14. Open Discharge A person must not discharge into any part of the storm drainage system any sanitary sewerage, other waters, industrial waste, petroleum products, coal, tar or any refuse or substances arising from the manufacture or processing of gas or petroleum or other material and products without first obtaining written permission to do from the provincial agency having jurisdiction over such discharge. ## 15. No Discharge into Sanitary Sewer A person must not discharge, cause or allow to be discharged into any sanitary sewer system any of the following sewerage or waste: - (1) Any storm waters, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff or surface drainage and a person must not connect to any sanitary sewer any roof leaders, foundation drains, sump or other collectors of surface or subsurface water. - (2) Any industrial cooling water. - (3) Any liquid having a temperature at or higher than 60 degrees Celsius - (4) Any vapour or gaseous substance. - (5) Any water or wastes which contain quantities of fat, oil or grease which is likely to damage, clog or impede the normal flow of drainage, sewerage, or waste. - (6) Any waters, sewerage or wastes having corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, biological sewage treatment processes or personnel engaged in the operating or maintenance of the sewerage works. - (7) Any noxious or malodorous substance in any quantity capable of creating a public nuisance. - (8) Any sewage, waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process or constitute a hazard in the receiving waters of the effluent from the sewage works or sewage treatment facility. - (9) Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, solvent, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gas. - (10) Any radioactive waste. - (11) Any garbage except properly ground garbage. - (13) Any waters, sewage or wastes containing more than 500 parts per million (by weight) of suspended solids. - (12) Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, coal, asphalt, concrete, wood, manure, or any other solids or viscous substance capable of causing obstructions to the flow in the sewers or other interference with the designed operation of the sewage works. - (14) Any waters, sewage or wastes having a B.O.D. count greater than 500 parts per million (by weight). - (15) Sludge or deposit from septic tanks. ## 16. Unpolluted Discharge - (2) A person must pre-treat industrial cooling water with insoluble oils or greases or insoluble suspended solids for the removal of the pollutants before that treated water may be discharged into a storm drainage system. - (1) A person must not discharge any unpolluted industrial waste into the sanitary sewer without first obtaining written consent from the Director of Public Works. - (3) Water from a swimming pool drain may be discharged into a storm drainage system. Effluent from the filter backwash and skimmers in a pool may not be discharged into a storm drainage but may be discharged to a sanitary sewer system. ## 17. Illegal Connections - (2) Any service discontinuation as per Section 17(1) will be given 30 days' notice. - (1) Any person who owns or occupies a building or property connected to a service connection that has failed to pay the prescribed charges imposed under this Bylaw or is in violation of any rule established by this Bylaw, may have the service connection discontinued, stopped up and closed at the direction of the Director of Public Works at the owner's full cost. - (3) The notice given in Section 17(2) shall be sent to the owner by registered mail and shall be deemed to have been received when five (5) days have elapsed after the notice has been sent. - (4) A person whose service connection has been discontinued may make a representation to Council following a request to do so and must comply with the Municipality's procedure for making representations to Council. ## 18. Interceptors Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided on private property for all gasoline service stations, automotive repair facilities and vehicle or equipment washing establishments. Interceptors will be required for other types of industries or commercial establishments when they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid waste containing grease in excessive amounts or any flammable wastes, sand, grit or other harmful ingredients. Such interceptors shall be installed at the owner's full cost and at a location which is easily accessible for cleaning and inspection purposes. All interceptors must meet the approval of the Building Inspector or the Director of Public Works. ## 19. Sampling Chambers The owner of each industrial enterprise or premise connected to the sanitary sewer must provide a suitable means of inspection to facilitate sampling and measurement of waste or sewage emanating from the premise. This suitable means of inspection shall be at the discretion of the Director of Public Works. ## 20. Septic Tanks Where a sewer connection is made to a premises where a septic tank exists, the owner must forthwith discontinue use of the septic tank. The septic tank must then be removed including all sludge or deposits. The owner must then, under the direction of the Director of Public Works, dismantle the septic tank or fill it with sand or gravel. ## 21. Low Flush Toilets The owner of each property requiring a building permit for the construction of a new building must, as a condition of the building permit, install low-flush toilets that meet the approval of the Building Inspector or the Director of Public Works. ## 22. Backflow Preventative Devices All new building sewer installations shall include an approved backflow preventative device installed at a location suitable to the Building Inspector or Director of Public Works. An approved backflow preventative device shall be installed at the full cost of the Applicant. ## 23. Extension Applications All applications for sanitary sewer and storm drainage system extensions must be made in writing to the Director of Public Works by the owner (or their agent) of the property to be served by the system extensions. An approved system extension shall be completed at the full cost of the Applicant. ## 24. Extension Limits Where a sewer line is extended, the extension must satisfy the requirements of the Municipality governing such extensions. Extensions may be extended to a point opposite the furthest boundary of the last parcel of land to be served by the extension. ## 25. Conformance with Other Bylaws - (1) All building sewers must be installed in conformance with the most recent edition of the Village of Burns Lake's Building Bylaw, the British Columbia Plumbing Code and the British Columbia Building Code at the full cost of the Applicant. - (3) A building owner or applicant must obtain approval of the designated Building Inspector or the Director of Public Works prior to the connection of the building sewer to the service connections at the property line. - (2) All building sewer materials must conform to the Village of Burns Lake's Building Bylaw. - (4) Maintenance of a building sewer shall be at the sole cost of the property owner. ## 26. Blockages and Failures - (1) The Director of Public Works shall, in consultation with an owner, determine the cause of a blockage of a building sewer and the extension of that service. - (2) Blockages of any building sewer and the extension of that service to the sanitary sewer or storm drainage system shall be deemed to have been caused by the upstream user, and the Municipality shall bear no responsibility for the clearance of that blockage. - (3) Should the cause of the blockage be a mechanical break, alignment problem or separation of service located on the Municipality's right-of-way, the costs for rectifying the problem will be borne by the Municipality. - (4) Blockages caused by roots of plants, retaining structures or neglect of the owner shall not be the responsibility of the Municipality to rectify. ## 27. Abandonment When any building sewer is abandoned, the owner (or their agent) must notify the Director of Public Works, and the owner must effectively block up the building sewer with a watertight seal. The location of this seal must be pre-approved by the Director of Public Works. ## 28. Connection to Service Connection In all cases, a service connection shall be installed by the Municipality (or it's designate) prior to the installation of the building sewer and connection of the building sewer to the service connection by the owner. The Municipality (or it's designate) is not required to meet the elevation or connect to an existing building sewer which has been installed prior to the installation of the service connections. ## 29. Service Depth The minimum depth of the service connection at the property line shall meet the current Village of Burns Lake requirements governing such work. Where possible, the service connection shall be installed with sufficient depth to provide natural drainage from the lowest floor of any building or structure except where natural drainage is impractical due to the relative elevation of the sewer and the lowest floor of the building or structure. ## 30. Connection Fees - (1) The owner (or their agent), at the time of making an application for a service connection, must pay to the Municipality the applicable fees prescribed in Schedule "H" of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Fees and Charges Bylaw, as amended from time 2. 12y For service connections installed at cost, the owner may be required to deposit with the Municipality a sum equal to 120% of the installation cost estimated by the Municipality at the discretion of the Director of Public Works. The Municipality shall refund any surplus funds remaining after said works are completed within 45 days. - (3) The service connection fee deposited in accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw shall not be used to cover the costs of any works located on the property of the owner, except as to the inspection of the owner's service connection. ## 31. User Fees The owner of every parcel must pay the sewer user rates as prescribed by the Municipality's Fees and Charges Bylaw and as amended from time to time. ## 32. Fees Added to Taxes Fees and charges relevant to this Bylaw which are not paid on or before the thirty-first day of December in any year shall be deemed to be taxes in arrears in respect of the parcels subject to the sewer user rates and shall forthwith be entered on the Real Property Tax Roll by the collector as taxes in arrears. ## 33. Right of Entry The owner of every parcel of land and the occupier of every premise must at all reasonable times allow, suffer and permit the Director of Public Works (or their designate) or the Building Inspector to enter into or upon lands and premises for the purpose of inspecting the premises, sewer pipes, drains, fixtures and any other apparatus or component of the service connection or plumbing system and to observe, measure, sample and test the quantity and nature of sewage being discharged into the sewer system in order to ascertain whether or not the provisions of this Bylaw are being observed. ## 34. Inspections - (1) Building sewers must be inspected and approved by the Director of Public Works prior to them being connected to the service connection and the building owner must allow the Director of Public Works to complete the inspection. - (2) All building sewers from houses and other buildings shall be installed by and at the cost of the owner. - (3) When the owner has completed the installation of the building sewer, the owner shall inform the Director of Public Works or their designate that the installation is complete. The Director of Public Works or their designate shall then inspect the installation to confirm conformance with the provisions of this Bylaw. The installation must not backfill the installation until the owner has received written notice from the Director of Public Works that the installation has been completed to the satisfaction of the relevant sections of this Bylaw. - (4) Materials and workmanship which, in the opinion of the Director of Public Works, are defective or otherwise not in conformance with the provisions of this Bylaw must be removed and replaced by the owner. Such re-installation shall not be backfilled until approved by the Director of Public Works. ## 35. Enforcement Every person is subject to enforcement who: - (1) Contravenes, violates or fails to comply with any provision in this Bylaw, - (2) Suffers or allows an act or thing to be done in contravention of this Bylaw, or - (3) Fails or neglects to do anything required to be done under this Bylaw, commits an offence under this bylaw. ## 36. Penalties - (1) Any person who commits an offence under this Bylaw may be issued a Bylaw Notice in the form of a written notice or ticket giving notification of a contravention of the Bylaw with the fine amount specified in the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1082, 2025 (or as amended from time to time). - (2) Nothing in this Bylaw limits the ability of the Municipality to pursue other legal remedies or to seek restitution for damages to the Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System to enforce this Bylaw. Such enforcement may include but is not limited to, an application for enforcement by civil proceedings pursuant to Section 274 of the Community Charter, SBC 2003, c26. - (3) In the case of offences of a continuing nature, where an offence is committed on each day during which the offence continues, and the maximum penalties imposed under this Bylaw apply to each such offence. ## 37. Schedules For the purposes of this Bylaw, Schedule "A" is attached to and forms part of this Bylaw. ## 38. Full Force and Effect: This Bylaw has full force and effect from the date of adoption until amended, repealed, or replaced. READ A FIRST TIME THIS 11TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2025 READ A SECOND TIME THIS 11TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2025 READ A THIRD TIME THIS 11TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2025 ADOPTED THIS 25TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2025  MAYOR Suran CORPORATE OFFICER  Certified to be a true copy of "The Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drainage System Bylaw No. 1082, 2025". ## SCHEDULE "A" VILLAGE OF BURNS LAKE CONNECTION APPLICATION FOR WATER OR SEWER ## Applicant Information: Name: Address:\_ Email: ## Legal Description Lot No. Civic Address: ## Service Requested: Phone Number: District Lot: \_ 1. Type and size of service: 2. Attach a sketch of the preferred service location Plan: In consideration of the granting of this permit, I agree to be subject to all bylaws, rules and regulations of the Corporation of the Village of Burns Lake in relation to its sewer system and to pay such rates, fees, charges and taxes as are specified by Bylaw. Applicants Signature: Date: Village of Burns Lake Approval: Director of Public Works Date: ## SCHEDULE "A" VILLAGE OF BURNS LAKE CONNECTION APPLICATION FOR WATER OR SEWER ## OFFICE USE ONLY Service installation cost: (a) Street Improvement Repair Costs: Curb, gutter and/or pavement \_ (b) Concrete sidewalk (c) Asphalt sidewalk (d) Total Service Installation Costs: Your application for a utility connection has been approved as detailed below. This connection will be installed upon receipt of the connection fee and necessary approvals. (totals of a, b, c & d) Dated application received: Drawings received: Yes\_ NO \_ The fee for this connection is: $ Application reviewed by: Connection Details: Date payment received: Date work order issued: Date installation complete: Approved By: Date: