(Extract from Works and Utilities Committee Report No. 11, considered by Council on December16, 1998.)

(d)Residential Water Service

Connection Repair Program.

The Works and Utilities Committee reports having referred back the following reports to the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to examine the feasibility of a cost-sharing policy for the replacement of older pipes where leaks are located, and to submit a report thereon to the Committee, including the criteria and mechanism for such a policy:

(i)(October 23, 1998) from the General Manager, Water and Wastewater Services, recommending that, within the following categories, the new service levels should be:

(1)Breaks/Leaks:

(i)Homeowners requesting the City to carry out a street line excavation to investigate a water service for breaks or leaks, which cannot be located using remote leak detection methods, will be required to enter into an agreement with the City. This agreement will state that, if the break or leak is found on the private side of the street line, the homeowner will pay the cost of the investigation.

(ii)The City will assume the cost of repairs within the street allowance and the investigation of the water service connection if the break or leak is on the public side of the street line.

(2)Standard Size for Water Service Connection:

(i)The standard Residential Single Family Dwelling water service connection shall be 19 mm (3/4 inch) in diameter.

(ii)Where a water service connection is to be replaced under the proposed repair policy and the homeowner requests a larger diameter connection than the standard size, then, if the request is approved by the City, the homeowner will be charged a $500.00 fee for the difference in cost between the standard size and the size requested by the owner.

(3)Minimum Acceptable Flow (MAF):

(i)The City adopt 14 L/min (3.1 gal/min) as the minimum acceptable flow when measured at the water meter.

(ii)The City, at its expense, will carry out the necessary work on the portion of the water service within City property, when the flow within the water service is less than the MAF of 14 L/min (3.1gal/min).

(4)Water Service Cleaning:

(i)The City clean copper water service connections, free of charge, in order to restore the flow capacity of the connection, where appropriate as determined by the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services.

(5)Water Service Connection Replacement/Upgrade Program:

(i)The City adopt a Water Service Connection Replacement/Upgrade Program to provide for the replacement of water service connections within the road allowance in accordance with current standards of size and material (19 mm diameter, copper material), at the City's expense if the flow as measured at the water meter is found to be less than 14 L/min (and all other alternatives have been assessed) or the existing connection is non-copper (lead or galvanized iron).

(ii)The City combine all the former municipalities' water service connection replacement work (as described above) into the Water Service Connection Replacement/Upgrade Program with a total funding amount of $5,891,000.00 for the 1999 Capital Budget; this amount is to be reviewed and adjusted annually to meet demands in subsequent years until after the repairs of all sub-standard water services have been completed.

(iii)The City undertake the replacement of substandard services in conjunction with the capital pavement program, as determined by the Commissioner to be appropriate.

(iv)The City establish a Water Service Repair Request List for the replacement of water service connections within the road allowance on a first-come, firstserve basis, continuing each year until the funds for that year are exhausted.

(v)If any homeowner wishes to have the repair of the water service carried out in a year in which their name is not expected to come up on the Water Service Repair Request List until after the funds available for the year have been exhausted, and the City can accommodate the request within the current program, then the City will agree to the request provided the homeowner first pays, at their own risk, the actual cost for the repair. In such a case, the name of such homeowner shall remain on the Water Service Repair Request List and when their name reaches the top of the list in any following year in which funds have been authorized by City Council, the City will reimburse, in current dollars, the amount paid by that homeowner for the repair of the water service.

(vi)Any homeowner whose name comes up on the Water Service Repair Request List for a water service repair and requests that the repair of the water service be carried out prior to the scheduled time for repair in that year, shall be charged a non-reimbursable quick service repair fee of $500.00.

(vii)Homeowners who request the repair of their water service be advised that the repair of the service within the street allowance by itself may not effect a sufficient improvement in water supply and that, in order to gain the full benefit of the repaired water service within the street allowance, the internal plumbing system and the water service connection from the building wall to the street line should also be repaired; and

(viii)The homeowner be given an opportunity to obtain a quotation from the City contractor for the repair of the water service on private property concurrently with the repair of the City portion; however, homeowners shall be advised that disputes regarding work done on private property shall be resolved between the homeowner and the contractor.

(ii)(November 20, 1998) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services responding to the requests made by the Committee at its meeting of November 4, 1998, with respect to:

(i)the impact of raising the proposed minimum acceptable flow from 14 l/min to 18l/min;

(ii)the feasibility of increasing pressure in the water mains as a means of increasing available flow;

(iii)an amendment to Recommendation No. 2 (ii) to ensure that property owners requesting service repair for small multiple residential repair rental properties are not required to pay the proposed $500.00 fee to ensure the installation of an adequately sized service; and

(iv)ways in which streetline excavations can be avoided where the water service connection to a property experiencing low flow is located in a difficult to access location.