Saltair Water System

Saltair Water System

Saltair water system is located south-east of Ladysmith in Area G. The water system services primarily residential homes but it also services select commercial properties.

Source, Treatment and Distribution

The source of water for this system is Stocking Lake, which is located West of the service area. Water flows from the lake, through the treatment plant, and is then stored in a 819 m3 above-ground reservoir. The water receives both UV-light and chlorine disinfection and is fed from the reservoir to the customers by gravity.

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 sent to the on-duty pager to alert CVRD staff for immediate response.

Upgrade Project

View updates of the distribution and treatment upgrades and Stocking Lake dam replacement projects.

An upgrade project was started in 2013 to replace and upgrade sections of aging infrastructure within the water system. The focus of the initial phase of the project has been to replace and upgrade pipes that have had a history of watermain breaks. The 2022 upgrades include Bazan Road, Gardner Road West, Rumble Road and Southin Road.

To view a map of the 2013-2018 watermain replacement/upgrades click here.

Water Quality Tests

Saltair water system is sampled at least once a week. The following table shows the sampling frequency and parameters tested for the water system:

 Frequency

Parameter Tested

Laboratory

Weekly

E. Coli and Total Coliforms

Samples are submitted to the Island Health Authority for testing by a provincial laboratory

Quarterly

Disinfection by-products (THM and HAA)

Bureau Veritas

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

Saltair water system is a fully metered water system and each connection has a water meter that records water consumption. Water meters are read every six months and customers are charged according to their consumption and based on the rates set out in the inclined block rate table (see below for details).

Annual Charges 

Billing Period

Meter Reading Date

User Fees*
 minimum payment (up to 200 m3)

 Parcel Tax**

Minimum Annual Fee 
 (User Fee and Parcel)

October 1 - March 31

April 1

$95

 $813

$1,003

April 1 - September 30

October 1

$95

*User Fees are mailed out to each customers on the billing date stated above.
**Parcel Tax is charged once a year and is incorporated into the property tax for each customer.

Current year budget information can be found here.

Inclined Block Rate Table

User Fees

 Water Use (per billing period)

 Charge

 0 - 200 m3

 $95.00

201 - 300 m3

$95.00 + $1.00 per m3 over 200 m3

301 - 400 m3

$195.00 + $1.50 per m3 over 300 m3

over 400 m3

$345.00 + $2.25 per m3 over 400 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 the following conditions are met or in extraordinary circumstances approval of the Corporate Financial Officer or the Manager.

  1. The property owner has not been granted a leak adjustment in the last 5 years. 
  2. The leak was repaired within 30 days of billing or discovery of the leak;
  3. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.