Rural Water & Sewer Service

There are no restrictions to selling your house if you have chosen not to connect to the system. 

Will the Municipality take responsibility for remediation after the work is done? For example, decks, patios, and landscaping?

The contractor must price the work to restore the site to the same or better condition than found and include it in the quote.

Please note, upgrades to any part of the lot or building is your responsibility and should not be included in the quote.

You will receive a utility bill every two months. Your bill will always contain the following charges:

Rural Water Sewer Connection fee:  Depending on how you chose to finance your connection, this rate could vary. For homes in Saprae Creek Estates, the fee will be $65. For homes in Anzac, Conklin, Gregoire Lake Estates and Janvier, the fee will be $105.

Fixed Water fee: $48.94

Water Consumption fee: a variable rate of $0.97/m3, and is based on how much water you consume and is measured from your water meter.

Fixed Sewer fee: $25.10

Sewer Consumption fee: a variable rate of $0.57/m3, and is calculated using the same amount of water you consumed, but at a lower rate.

Effective April 1, these are the 2023 rates from the Council approved Fees, Rates and Charges Bylaw (No. 22/012). This bylaw is updated annually, typically in the first quarter. It’s customary to see increases to utility rates as part of the bylaw updates. The rates in the approved, current bylaw are what will be reflected on your utility bill.

Why does the sewage metered rate match the water metered rate on my bill, if a significant amount of the water I’m using is for landscaping or outdoor use?

How do my rural utility charges compare to Fort McMurray utility charges?

Water and sewer rates in the rural communities are lower than in Fort McMurray. 

Water: fixed + variable fee

• Urban - residential: $40.95 + $0.97/m3
• Rural - residential: $24.47 + $0.97/m3

Sewer: fixed + variable fee

• Urban - residential: $19.99 + 0.57/m3
• Rural - residential: $12.55 + 0.57/m3

*The variable fees above reflect a standard meter size of 16mm & 19mm.*

Other meter sizes are reflected in the Fees, Rates and Charges Bylaw

What are the benefits of the low-pressure sewer system that the Municipality is proposing versus the septic field system that homeowners are currently maintaining?

A benefit to the low-pressure sewer system is that ground water pollution is avoided by the sewage travelling through the municipal collection system and getting treated at the wastewater treatment plant.

Additionally, the land currently dedicated for septic fields is freed up and can be re-purposed for other uses. The system is also useful where septic fields cannot be developed due to high underground water or proximity to water bodies or where the cost to replace older septic systems is excessive.

What type of septic tank is required? Do I need to replace my existing tank? 

The proposed tank require two chambers; the first is the sludge chamber and the second is the pump chamber for liquid effluent. The pump chamber should be sized for an additional 24-hour storage utilizing the free space available within the sludge and pump chambers in the event of power outage or pump failure.

Your contractor will determine if your existing tank can be used or otherwise.

If your tank does need to be replaced, the RWSS program will cover the cost to fill your old tank with approved materials such as sand.

What’s the difference between grinder pumps and septic tank effluent pumps?

A grinder pump chops up solids and pumps them into the sewer main. A septic tank effluent pump (STEP) only pumps the liquid part of the effluent into the sewer main.

Grinder pumps can range from $2,000 to $3,500 to replace. For average-size households and similar capacity of pumps, the replacement and maintenance cost of the STEP is less than the Grinder pump.

Where will the pump control panels be located? Where will the power come from?

Control panels for the pumps and level controls can be located inside or outside the home. Power will be supplied from the homeowner’s electrical panel.

With low pressure sewers, how is the solid waste handled? Will there be a scheduled pump out to deal with solids?   

Solid waste will remain in the first chamber of the septic tank and will need to be sucked out periodically. It will be homeowner’s responsibility to arrange for pump out. Depending upon the specific size of the tank and water use, the average pump out will be required every three years.

If I have a low-pressure sewer system, how will I be protected from sewer back-up?

The proposed system will have two check valves in the pump chamber to prevent backflow into the tank, and a high-level alarm in the tank to warn of potential problems.

It is recommended that all residents with a basement or crawl space have a backwater valve installed between the home and the tank to prevent sewage backups into the home.

Will new permits for septic fields and/or septic tanks be issued if I don’t want to connect to the new system?

What if any of the service pipes break? 

The Municipality will repair the RWSS system up to the property line.

As the homeowner, you will be responsible for repairs of the system on your private lot. This is the standard practice within the region and in other municipalities where similar systems exist.