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Douglas Hill Water System
The Douglas Hill Water System services the Douglas Hill and Jim's Crescent subdivisions, located south of Cowichan Bay in areas C and D. The water system services 138 residential properties.
Source, Treatment and Distribution
The water source consists of two groundwater wells. The water receives chlorine disinfection before entering into the 454 m3 water reservoir and pumped to the distribution system on demand from the customers.
Replacement of the well pipeline was funded by Community Works Gas Tax.
Critical equipment is monitored 24-hours a day for malfunctions, such as high or low chlorine levels or pump failures; if such an abnormality occurs, an alarm is immediately sent to the on-duty pager to alert CVRD staff for quick response.
Water Quality Testing
Douglas Hill water system is sampled, at a minimum, once a week. The following table shows the sampling frequency and parameters tested for the water system:
Frequency | Parameter Tested | Laboratory |
---|---|---|
Weekly | Bacterial (E. Coli and Total Coliforms) | Samples are submitted to Island Health for testing by a provincial laboratory |
Annual | Full spectrum analysis based on the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. Sampling of the source and distribution is alternated each year. | Bureau Veritas |
Testing results can be found in the Annual Water Report completed each year.
Fee Structure
Douglas Hill water system is a fully metered water system and each connection has a water meter that records water consumption. The water meters are read every three months and customers are charged according to their consumption and based on the rates set out in the inclined block rate table below.
Annual Charges
Billing Period | Meter Reading Date | User Fees* minimum payment (up to 150 m3) | Parcel Tax** | Minimum Annual Fee (User Fee and Parcel) |
---|---|---|---|---|
October 15 - January 14 | January 15 | $96.25 | $371.00 | $756.00 |
January 15 - April 14 | April 15 | $96.25 | ||
April 15 - July 14 | July 15 | $96.25 | ||
July 15 - October 14 | October 15 | $96.25 |
*User Fees are mailed out to each customer on the billing date stated above.
**Parcel Tax is charged once a year and is incorporated into the property tax for each customer.
Inclined Block Rate Table
User Fees | |
---|---|
Water Use (per billing period) | Charge |
0 - 150 m3 | $96.25 |
151 - 225 m3 | $96.25 + $1.00 per m3 over 150 m3 |
226 - 300 m3 | $171.25 + $1.50 per m3 over 225 m3 |
over 300 m3 | $283.75 + $2.25 per m3 over 300 m3 |
Undetected Leaks
Undetected Leaks will be considered in any buried service water line or water line in the building's walls. Plumbing fixtures are taps, toilets and hose bibs.
User Charges may be adjusted where an undetected leak on the consumer’s property has resulted in water usage greatly exceeding typical usage of water, according to the applicable classification(s) and there is no indication that water was knowingly allowed to run to waste. A request for a leak adjustment may be granted if all of the following conditions are met or in extraordinary circumstances, upon approval of the Corporate Financial Officer or the Manager.
- The property owner has not been granted a leak adjustment in the last 5 years.
- The leak was repaired within 30 days of billing or discovery of the leak.
- Written verification describing the nature of the leakage and the action taken to rectify the problem must be received by the Manager before a leak adjustment will be granted.
Where a leak adjustment is approved, User Charge adjustments will be determined as follows:
- If the leak is found in the service line, volumes from the 2 previous years, of the same billing cycle, will be averaged and charged. i.e. Average of 2 previous summers, if leak occurs in the summer.
- If the leak is associated with an in-home plumbing fixture or irrigation system, volumes from the 2 previous years, of the same billing cycle will be averaged plus 50% of the incremental water usage (between the average and the overage) will be charged to a maximum added value of $500.
- Subsequent leaks occurring within 5 years of the previous leak adjustment request will be eligible for the cap of $1,500 per single family dwelling equivalent, up to a maximum of $5,000. Where the average of the 2 previous years of the same billing cycle is greater than $5,000, the eligible cap will be 1.5 times the average.
Undetected Leak Adjustment Application
In order to apply for an adjustment, an Undetected Leak Adjustment Application must be completed and submitted within 30 days of billing or leak discovery.
The process for submitting an Undetected Leak Adjustment Application is as follows:
- Identify and repair the leak on your property.
- Fill out the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application, found here.
- Submit the completed application with supplemental materials (photos, invoices, etc.) to Utilities@cvrd.bc.ca.
Please note the following:
- An incomplete application and/or missing photos/invoices will result in a delay in processing the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application.
- Completion of this form does not guarantee that an adjustment will be granted.
For any questions and inquiries regarding the Undetected Leak Adjustment Application, please contact the Utilities Division at Utilities@cvrd.bc.ca or 250.746.2530.
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Utilities
Physical Address
175 Ingram Street
Duncan, BC V9L 1N8
Phone 250.746.2530