Sewer

The Sewers and Drainage Branch is responsible for the maintenance, repair and upgrading of the sanitary and storm sewer system including the following:

• storm and sanitary sewer mains
• services to the property line
• drainage pumps
• sanitary lift stations
• dykes
• drainage system
• equipment pool

Sewer Systems

The city has three different types of sewer systems to deal with the stormwater from rainfall and wastewater produced by daily activities.

Storm sewer systems capture and convey natural runoff through a network of ditches or pipes and then discharge it into the natural bodies of water through gravity and pump station outfalls.

Sanitary and combined sewers are an underground network of service connections, pipes, manholes and pump stations that collect and convey wastewater to the regional trunk sewers and wastewater treatment plants operated by Metro Vancouver.

Combined sewer systems collect both the sanitary sewage and storm water into a single pipe. The city is replacing this type of sewer because during large storms the rainwater can result in the system reaching its capacity and overflowing into the Fraser River.

Regulations

The city regulates the sewer systems through the Sewerage and Drainage Systems Regulation Bylaw No. 4524, 1971.

Further to the cities bylaw a regional Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) is in place ensuring that each municipality complies with the provincial objectives. The 2001 LWMP is currently under review.

Planning

The Engineering Department develops future capital plans to deal with both increased discharge as the City’s population grows and decreased capacity as the system ages.

To assist with future planning, the City has developed a computerized sewer model to evaluate the capacity for both existing land use and future zoning. The model was used to develop the Master Sewer Servicing Study, which identifies existing and future upgrades.

The City monitors the current condition of the sewer system by tracking the number of service repairs and completing a video inspection of each pipe. This provides a good indication of when a pipe should be considered for replacement.

Considering both the condition of the pipe as well as the capacity of the system the engineering department has developed a 10 Year Capital Plan that identifies when sewer upgrades will be necessary. As development patterns change and the city system ages it is necessary to review annually the 10-Year Capital Plan prior to adopting the Annual Capital Works Plan for the current year.

For more information or comments, please call Engineering Operations at 604-526-4691 or e-mail . 
 

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