Water and Sewer

Water Meters

Thanks to the participation of our residents, water meters are now in use in almost all homes, and local businesses and industry continue to work on installing their own. Water meters are a proven way for communities to save water and extend the lifespan of water and sewer systems and treatment plants. Going forward in 2018, the rates for residential customers will be based solely on consumption.

Water Connection Requests

The City does not permit anyone other than a City employee to shut off or turn on the water at the curb stop.  If you require work to be done on the water line between the water shut-off valve at the water meter, and the curb stop at the street, you will need to contact the City's Civic Works department to request this service.

Only property owners or their representative can request this service unless it's for an emergency.  The property account holder will be charged a fee for this service which will be charged to their quarterly utility billing.  Fees are listed on the attached Water On/Off Request Form below.

Non-Emergency Water Connection Requests:

Turn-on or turn-off water at Curb Stop or Water Main during regular working hours and with 72 hours notice.

For a non-emergency request, please provide 72 hours notice to Civic Works by emailing the completed Water On/Off Request Form to civicworks@castlegar.ca or be calling 250-365-5979.  Regular business hours for this service are between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Emergency or On-Demand Water Connection Requests:

Turn-on or turn-off water at Curb Stop or Water Main outside regular working hours or without 72 hours notice.

For an emergency or on-demand request, contact Civic Works at 250-365-5979 during regular business hours or at the City's emergency line at 250-365-3341 for after-hours emergency service.

Cross-Connection Control Program

A cross-connection is a connection between a drinking water system and an actual or potential source of contaminated water.  All multi-family buildings,  commercial, institutional and industrial properties in Castlegar are required under Bylaw 1014 to have measures to control or eliminate cross-connections on their main water service, on specific fixtures, or both, to prevent any sources of contamination from entering Castlegar's drinking water distribution system.  These measures are most often a backflow prevention assembly (BFP) which is a specifically designed valve that prevents flow of water backwards through the pipe.  These assemblies are subject to wear and tear, corrosion and freezing and need annual testing to ensure they are operating properly.

The City is required by Interior Health to administer a cross-connection control program which includes monitoring all properties to ensure the appropriate backflow prevention assemblies are installed and confirm that they have their backflow assemblies tested annually.  The City sends letters to properties requiring backflow assembly testing but it is the property owner's responsibility to book and pay for the test.

Local Certified Testers for Backflow Prevention Devices

The following local companies employ certified backflow prevention assembly testers.  This list is provided only as a service to assist the public and does not represent any endorsement or implied approval by the City of Castlegar.  Companies other than those listed may be used to perform testing if they employ certified testers.

• Trainor Mechanical, Nelson - 250.352.7588
• Venture Mechanical, Castlegar - 250.365.4999
• Flush Away Plumbing and Heating, Castlegar - 250.304.7475
• Pacific Western Fire Protection, Kelowna (has local rep) - 250.765.3473 
• Troy Fire & Life, Kelowna (has local rep) 250.860.3991

The property owner or representative should verify that anyone contracted to perform this testing has current certification and that their test gauge is currently calibrated.  Any certified plumbers wishing to be added to the list can contact the cross-connection control program manager at asimonen@castlegar.ca 

Submitting Test Results

There are 2 ways for test results to be recorded and submitted to the City.  It is the property owner's responsibility to ensure that the test reports are submitted annually:

1) Castlegar's preferred option is for backflow assembly testers to sign up for the FAST Tester app provided by MTS Inc.  This app automatically fills relevant information about the backflow assembly, facility and customer and automatically submits test results electronically to the City.  This reduces level of effort on behalf of the plumber/tester and the City.  More information on this app can be found at www.fastbfp.ca or on the .pdf below.

2) Alternatively, the City will still receive hardcopy test reports submitted to Civic Works or emailed to the cross-connection control program manager at asimonen@castlegar.ca 

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How do I know if I have a backflow preventer?

Most multi-family, industrial, institutional and commercial properties in the City have one or more backflow preventers.  They are typically installed near where the water enters the building and may be installed on the drinking water system, irrigation system or fire suppression system.  If you are unsure whether you have one, please contact Civic Works for confirmation.  Some facilities were not required to install backflow preventers on the main service due to onerous construction.  These facilities may have multiple backflow preventer assemblies on fixtures that pose cross-connection risk and still require assessment from certified plumbers/testers.

2) How do I know if the testing on the backflow preventer is up-to-date?

The City will send out letters to property owners annually who have backflow preventers requiring re-testing, based on the last test date in our database.  Alternatively, you can check yourself as all backflow prevention assemblies will have a tag on them indicating the last test date.

3) What is my backflow prevention assembly fails testing?

It is the property owner's responsibility to get their backflow prevent assemblies repaired or replaced promptly.  Testing reminders will be continued to be sent to properties until a passing test is submitted to Civic Works.

4) How to I know if my property is appropriately protected?

The property owner can contact Civic Works to get the results of the last cross-connection survey completed on the property.  This survey can confirm if a property is compliant or needs one or more backflow prevention assemblies or cross-connection control measures installed for compliance.  A certified Cross Connection Control Inspector can also visit the property to assess compliance.

For more information on the cross-connection control program, please contact the program manager, Anne Simonen, at asimonen@castlegar.ca or 250-365-5979.

 

Water Rates

	Single-Family Residential	Multi-Family Residential	Industrial Commercial & Institutional
	(with meters)	(with meters)	(with meters)
	2019	2019	2019
Flat Rate	$360	$228	$288
	(secondary suite rate is  additional 25% of single family residential rate)
Consumption Rate	$0.68 per cubic metre over 30 cubic metres	$0.48 per cubic metre for all flows	$0.48 per cubic metre for all flows
	(secondary suite rate is additional $0.68 per cubic metre over 7.5 cubic metres)

Sewer Rates

	Single-Family Residential	Multi-Family Residential	Industrial Commercial & Institutional
	(with meters)	(with meters)	(with meters)
	2019	2019	2019
Flat Rate	$288	$168	$366

Consumption Rate

$0.38 per cubic metre, but capped at 30 cubic metres from May to September

$0.38 per cubic metre, but capped at 25 cubic metres from May to September

$0.44 per cubic metre, but with a 10% discount May to September

Payment Methods

We recommend paying through your bank. You can visit your bank in person or online. If you wish to pay online, follow these steps:

• Go to your online banking website and log in.
• Search for payee “Castlegar” and select the “utilities” from the results list. Do NOT select “taxes”.
• Enter your 13-digit account number into the account number field. Your utility account number (000 000XXXX 00X) is positioned on the front page, top left hand corner, of your utility bill.
• Pay the appropriate amount from the utility bill.
• Print or save the confirmation page for your records.

Other Payment Options Include: 

• With your bank/financial institute (in person, online, telephone).
• Pre-authorized debit from a chequing account, see more details below. 
• By mail; make cheques payable to “City of Castlegar”. 

• In person at the Castlegar City Hall. We accept cash, cheque and Interac payments. City Hall is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.

Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) Program

We are offering a new payment program for utilities in 2018 that enables you to automatically pay your utility bill through an automatic electronic transfer from your bank account. The program aims to provide convenience to our customers, and to avoid late payments or penalties. In order to sign up for the program, please download and complete the PAD Agreement Form and return to the Financial Services department. 

Email: finance@castlegar.ca

Phone: 250-365-7227 / Fax: 250-365-0594

Utility eBilling

The City of Castlegar now brings you the convenience of managing your accounts online at any time. You can receive your utility bills by email or view them online.

To register and sign up for eBilling, visit vadimopen.castlegar.ca