CARSTAIRS - Council has approved updates to the Town of Carstairs' rates and fees bylaw to cover the illegal discharge of sump pumps, including adding new fines for violations.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
A sump pump is a device used to remove water that accumulates in a basement, preventing flooding by pumping the water to a discharge line outside the building.
“Every municipality in our province, and probably in Canada, has issues with this, especially in older sections of the municipality,” the town's chief administrative officer Rick Blair told the Albertan.
“They (property owners) used to tie the sumps directly into the sewer, with all the sump pump going directly into our lagoon. We needed to fix that.”
Sump pumps can be legally discharged into the property owners’ yard, he said.
“It’s like any rain water that would come into your yard,” he said.
The bylaw sets out rates and fees charged for various goods and services provided by the Town of Carstairs.
Discharging a sump pump or yard drain into the town sanitary sewer will now carry a first offence fine of $500, a second offence fine of $1,000, and a third offence fine of $1,500.
Connecting downspouts, eaves, piping or other means of rooftop drainage to a foundation drain or weeping tile will now carry the same fines.
Discharging storm water from a drainage system servicing or affecting an affected property into a public sanitary sewer or other waste water disposal system will now carry the same fines.
Permitting sump pump discharge hose to drain directly onto neighbouring properties, lanes or streets, onto sidewalk, onto boulevards, ditches or in the floor drain of the property owner will now carry the same fines.
During the March 24 council meeting, council also approved a new Encroachment Bylaw No. 2062.
“It’s a new bylaw for encroachments,” said Blair. “It’s always a problem so we are tightening it up to make sure that everybody understands that they are not allowed to do that. Most people are good but you’ll get the odd one that likes to encroach.”
The bylaw manages encroachments on town-owned lands, streets and easements, and includes fines for violations.
The bylaw defines encroachment as “anything constructed or erected permanently or semi-permanently on the ground or attached to something that is permeant or semi-permanent extending on, over or under titled property onto town lands or town property and includes all buildings, fences and all projections such as footings, foundations and cantilevers.”
Encroachments on a town-owned property carries a minimum fine of $750 and a maximum fine of $1,500. Unauthorized encroachments, and failure to remove encroachments carry the same minimum and maximum fines.
Failure to comply with terms and conditions carries a minimum fine of $200 and a maximum fine of $500.
