Sewer Bylaw No. 533, 2024

Hazelton, British Columbia · adopted 2024-01-01

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 58a14d03e86d · verified 2026-06-08 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

THE CORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE OF HAZELTON BYLAW NO. 533, 2024 A Bylaw to regulate rates, terms and conditions for the Village of Hazelton sewer system WHEREAS, the Village of Hazelton has established sewerage works for the collection, conveyance and disposal of sewage; and drainage works; for the impounding, conveying, and discharging of surface and other waters; AND WHEREAS, the Village of Hazelton Council may by bylaw regulate the design and installation of drainage and sewerage works and require owners of real property to connect their buildings and structures to sewer or drainage connections and impose a connection charge and, in the event of an owner failing to make the necessary connections within a specified time, provide for having the work done at their expense; NOW THEREFORE, the Council of the Village of Hazelton, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows: 1. SCHEDULES: The following schedules are attached and form part of this Bylaw: - Schedule" A" - Sewer User Rates - Schedule "B" - Application for Sewer Connection, Disconnection and Inspection Interpretation 2. IN THIS BYLAW: "Backwater Valve" means a check valve designed for use in a gravity sewage system; "Council" means the Municipal Council of the Village of Hazelton; "Inspector" means any person who may be so designated by the Council; "Owner" means the registered owner of a property; "Residential Unit" means each individual dwelling unit and includes living quarters in business premises; "Sanitary Sewer" means the sewer system upon or under any street, lane, right-of-way or easement, which system is owned or maintained by the municipality; "Service Connection" means the joining of the owner's service to the street connection; "Service Pipe" means the pipes and fittings on the owner's property that conduct sewage from the plumbing fixtures to the sewer connection; "Sewer Connection" means the connecting pipe and all fittings from any property line on any street, lane, right-of-way or easement, which provides for a service connection to the sanitary sewer; "Village" means the Corporation of the Village of Hazelton. 3. SERVICE AREA: a) Every owner of a property that will come under the provisions of this bylaw, upon which there is or is planned to be a building, shall cause the property to be provided with a service connection. (i) Where any owner shall fail or neglect to cause a property to be provided with a sewer connection within six (6) months of the sanitary sewer being constructed and available for connection, the Village will serve the owner a notice stating that the owner immediately comply with all provisions of this bylaw and that the sewer connection shall be completed in accordance with this bylaw within sixty (60) days of receipt of the notice. Failure of the owner to comply with the notice shall constitute an infraction of this bylaw. (ii) If a notice given under subsection 3. a) is not complied with, the Village may enter upon the property of the owner and make the necessary connections. The Village shall add the total cost of making such connections to the property tax roll if not paid by the owner within sixty (60) days and the charges shall then be treated in all respects as ordinary taxes due upon the property. 4. APPLICATION FOR SERVICE CONNECTION: a) The owner shall make application for a service connection using Schedule "B" at the time an application is made for a building permit, and all applicable charges as set out in Schedule "A" must be paid prior to the commencement of any works. b) The Village shall determine the size and location of the service required, and confirm that the street connection, if not already installed, can be made to the existing sanitary sewer. c) Where there is no existing sanitary sewer, or it is located so as to require a change to permit a connection to it, the Village shall determine what change or extension is required, the cost recovery method proposed, and recommend for or against such construction. Where Council approves the construction, the owner's share of the cost shall be paid prior to commencement of such construction. d) The Village or their contractors shall install all sewer connections from the sanitary sewer system to a property line. No other person may carry out work within a street right-of-way or make connection in any manner to the sewer system. 5. USER RATES: a) All properties with a sewer connection shall be charged a user rate in accordance with Schedule "A". Charges for new connections shall commence from the time that the service is turned on, prorated for the first month of use. b) The user fees shall be due annually at the Village Office for the period of January to December. c) A consumer shall be charged the full monthly rate if the application for service or discontinuing a service is dated on or before the 15th day of the month, or if it is dated after the 15th day of the month they shall be charged for half the monthly rate for that month. d) All fees are the sole responsibility of the owner. e) Rates will be charged on the number of uses for one commercial property no matter how many tenants currently occupy the property. f) A 5% penalty shall apply to the outstanding amount for each billing if the bill is not paid by the due date. 6. REGULATIONS: a) Every service shall have a clean-out installed at the property line where the Service Pipe joins the Sewer Connection. b) Installation of the service pipe and materials used shall be in accordance with the regulations contained in the current B.C. Plumbing Code. (i) Upon completion of the installation and construction of a Service Connection, and before it is backfilled, the Owner shall inform the Inspector that the work is complete and that the Inspector may carry out an inspection of the work. (ii) Inspection shall take place within 48 hours of Schedule "B" being received and inspection fee being paid, not including weekends. (iii) The Owner shall leave all such work uncovered and convenient for examination, and the Service Connection shall not be covered, backfilled, finished, or connected with the Sewer Connection in any way, until the Inspector approves, in writing, the construction and installation of the Service Pipe. (iv) The Owner shall, at the direction of the Inspector, remove and replace all materials and workmanship which, in the opinion of the Inspector, are defective or otherwise not in accordance with the provisions of this or any other relevant Bylaw, and the Service Connection shall not be covered, backfilled, or connected with the Sanitary Sewer until the Service Connection is accepted and approved by the Inspector, as provided in subsection 6.b). (v) The Owner shall pay an additional inspection fee, as prescribed in Schedule "A", for each inspection required, due to faulty materials or workmanship. c) Where a Service Connection is connected to a Sanitary Sewer, every Owner, shall install a standard Backwater Valve, designed to the specifications and satisfaction of the Inspector within the building or structure or in an approved location outside the building. d) The Service Pipe and Sewer Connection shall be maintained by the Owner at their sole expense. Where a Service Pipe or Sewer Connection becomes stopped up it is the responsibility of the Owner to obtain the services of a plumber to clear such blockages. 7. DISCONNECTION: a) Where a Service Connection is no longer required to a property, the owner must apply for a disconnection using Schedule "B". Disconnection shall require the service to be capped or otherwise sealed as required by the Inspector. b) Where service cannot be capped due to multiple uses rates will continue. If an owner uses the sanitary sewer without paying municipal utility fees, they will be charged a fee per Schedule "A". 8. INTERCEPTORS: a) Grease interceptors shall be required on the discharge from sinks in all businesses where food preparation and/or dish washing takes place. Any water or waste which contains grease (including fats, waxes and oils as determined by the Hexane extraction process according to Standard Methods), with concentration in excess of one hundred milligrams (100 m) per litre of substances derived from petroleum sources, or which contains any substance which may solidify or become discernibly viscous is prohibited. 9. PRIVATE SEWAGE DISPOSAL: a) No person shall discharge or permit to be discharged into the sewer system any garbage that has not been properly comminuted to six point zero millimeters (6.0 mm) or less in any dimension. b) Every person responsible for the accidental discharge of prohibited substances into the sewer system or a drainage system shall report immediately to the Village. c) Where grease, oil or sand interceptors are installed they shall be maintained by the Owner at his expense in continuously efficient operation at all times. d) The discharge into the Sanitary Sewer of any manner of surface or ground waters, or of hazardous or toxic wastes as defined by the Waste Management Act or other acts of the B.C. Ministry of Environment, are specifically prohibited. 10. PENALTY a) Any person who contravenes this bylaw or who neglects to do or refrains from doing anything required by this bylaw is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars plus the costs of each offence. 11. ADMINISTRATION: a) The Village may disconnect the sewer connection to any property for any of the following reasons, and the Village shall not be liable for damages caused by the disconnection: (i) for violation of regulations; (ii) for non-payment of fees; (iii) for failure to replace or repair defective pipes, fittings, tanks or pumps which are leaking or otherwise not in a good state of repair and which are a cause of leakage of sewer waste; (iv) for repairs; (v) for violation of any of the provisions of this bylaw. 12. REPEAL: Sewer Connection, Regulations and Rates Bylaw No. 503, 2019 and all other amendments are hereby repealed in their entirety. 13. TITLE: This Bylaw may be cited as "Sewer Connection, Regulations and Rates Bylaw No. 533, 2024." READ A FIRST TIME THIS 9th DAY OF JANUARY, 2024. READ A SECOND TIME THIS 9th DAY OF JANUARY, 2024. READ A THIRD TIME THIS 9th DAY OF JANUARY, 2024. ADOPTED THIS 13th DAY OF FEBRUARY 2024. ______________________________ ______________________________ MAYOR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER SCHEDULE "A" SEWER RATES - Per Year 2024 2025 2026 Residential - per family unit (includes mobile homes and each unit of apartment, suites or attached living quarters) $252.19 $257.23 $262.37 Commercial, Professional Business Office - per tenant And Theater, Art Gallery, Church $252.19 $257.23 $262.37 Restaurant, Pub, Beer Parlour $490.28 $500.09 $510.09 Daycare, Arena, Hairdressers, Day Spa $490.28 $500.09 $510.09 School or College -first room -per additional room $490.28 $252.19 $500.09 $257.23 $510.09 $262.37 Hospital - First bed - Per additional bed $490.28 $252.19 $500.09 $257.23 $510.09 $262.37 Hotel, Motel or Dormitory - First Room - Per additional room $490.28 $252.19 $500.09 $257.23 $510.09 $262.37 OTHER CHARGES Penalty $5,000.00 Service Inspection Fee $100.00 Service Connection Additional Inspection Fee $50.00 Disconnection Fee (cap off service pipe) $500.00 Reconnection Fee $500.00 New Sewer Connections--actual cost of labour, material, equipment, supervision, plus 20% administration fee. The Owner shall pay all costs for labour, equipment, supervision and administration (20%) to repair road surfaces, curb and gutter, sidewalks and boulevards disrupted by the installation. SCHEDULE "B" Application for Connection, Disconnection/Reconnection or Inspection of Sewer Service Date: _________________________ Folio: ____________________________ Street Address: ________________________________________________________ Application is for a (check as applicable):  ____" Street Connection  ____" Service Inspection  Disconnection and Cap Off  Reconnection Use:  Residential  Single Duplex  Other_______# of suites  Commercial/ Industrial Type:_________________________________ I apply as indicated for sewer service to the property as identified above, and agree to follow all regulations contained in Bylaw No. 533, 2024, and further agree to provide the Inspector or Administrator with additional information if required. Signature (owner/agent): _________________________________________________________ Mailing Address: ________________________________________________________________ *********************************OFFICE USE ONLY******************************* Work Completed By: ____________________________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________