Mountain View County council has given final reading to the new Netook Business Park Water and Wastewater bylaw.
The move means the county is now responsible for operating the water and wastewater system at the park, located east of Olds on the south side of Highway 27 and west of the QE II Highway.
The original developer had maintained management of the Netook Business Park since it began operations eight years ago. The county has now taken over that management.
Deputy Reeve Angela Aalbers says the takeover is part of the contract between the developer and the county.
"Once the developer gets to a certain stage in the development – it's similar to a road development – then the county assumes the responsibility for the actual service," said Aalbers. "It was part of the development permit process."
"It will be a work in progress to see how we can best deliver the services within a proper cost to the county. We will review the bylaw in a year and then make any changes to the rates or the way we actually deliver the services."
The bylaw sets out regulations and conditions for such things as waterworks, the use and protection of wastewater, wastewater connections, storm sewer, monthly billing, penalties and enforcement.
The waterworks section states, in part, the following:
- Any owner who requires water service (commercial) in the Netook Business Park shall make an application to the county on such form as utilized by the county from time to time. Failure to make an application to the Mountain View County prior to usage of water shall constitute a contravention of this bylaw.
- Upon the acceptance of the application for a commercial utility service, an account shall be set up in the name of the owner of the property. An owner may request in writing that the monthly utility billings under the account be submitted directly to the occupant of the property if someone other than the owner or a third party, including but not limited to a property manager or both. Such a request does not limit the liability of the owner to ensure the utility account remains in good standing.
- All water users within the Netook Business Park shall be responsible for the installation of a water well in accordance with provincial standards.
- All water meters supplied by Mountain View County shall at all times be the property of the county. Payment of a connection fee or other fee does not constitute a sale.
- The user shall be responsible for damage to the meter, which may result from other than normal wear and tear.
The wastewater section states, in part, the following:
- No person shall throw, deposit or leave in/or upon any county sewer, or any trap, basin, grating, manhole any offal, garbage, litter, manure, rubbish, sweeping, sticks, stones, bricks, earth, gravel, dirt, mud, hay, straw, twigs, leaves, papers, rags, cinders, ashes or refuse matter of any kind, except feces, urine, the necessary closet paper, and wastewater properly discharged through a sewer into a county wastewater system.
- No person shall permit to be discharged into any sewer, any liquid or liquids which would prejudicially affect the wastewater, or the disposal of the sewage, or any matter of substance by which the free flow of the sewage may be interfered with, or any chemical refuse, or trade waste, or any waste stream, condensing water, heated water, or other liquids of a higher temperature than 77 C.
The wastewater connection section included the following:
- Should any person claim that any wastewater service line is plugging or is plugged because it is not laid according to good practice the said person shall deposit with the county the sum as specified in the Mountain View County Fee Schedule Bylaw. The chief administrative officer or their designate will then be authorized to open the said wastewater service line by any method they consider necessary.
- Should the said service line be found properly laid according to good work practices, the said person shall forfeit the said deposit and shall be liable to pay all costs incurred by the county in opening the said wastewater service line.
- The person occupying any premises connected to a street main by a wastewater service line, shall be required to keep the said wastewater service line in operating condition at all times and shall be fully responsible for the operation of the said wastewater service line.
The penalties section states, in part, the following:
- To any combined water and wastewater account which remains unpaid at the end of the month for which the account was rendered shall be added by way of penalty, an amount as specified in the Mountain View County Fee Schedule Bylaw, the combined balance and that similar accumulated penalty shall be added for each month the account remains unpaid.
- Should any combined water and wastewater account or portion thereof remain unpaid for more than 30 days following the due date, the services may be disconnected.
The water system at the park is currently not functional, and each lot is serviced by a dedicated well on each lot. The wastewater system consists of a collection system connected to a 60-cubic-metre tank, which is trucked to a disposal site as required.
“The amount of wastewater removal presently charged back to the lot owners is based upon 80 per cent of the amount of water used and the attached bylaw is set up on that premise,” administration said in a briefing note to council.
The note states the net cost to haul and dispose of wastewater, at 80 per cent recovery, would mean that the system will need to be subsidized approximately $14,000 per year by the county to continue operating the system as the developer has in recent years.
“The county is predicting a cost of $84,000 per year for operating the wastewater system, with revenues of $70,000 from wastewater producers. Within the projected annual operating costs are $15,000 of system maintenance costs and $8,000 of long-term capital replacement costs.”
Municipal tax revenue generated from the properties tied into the wastewater system is approximately $119,000 per year, council heard.
