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Apply for Water, Sewer, or Storm Service

The City of Castlegar provides water, sewer, and storm service connections between City mains and the property line within municipal boundaries.


City crews are responsible for the installation and replacement of connections. Through the City, you can request changes to your water and sewer services, including:

  • a new water and sewer services to a subdivided or empty lot
  • increasing existing water and sewer capacities to service a suite or home business, or changing the location
  • disconnecting an existing service if it isn’t needed or needs to be moved

Requesting a New Water or Sewer Service or a Change to Service

To request a new water or sewer service or a change to service:

  1. The applicant submits the application(s) linked on this page to Development Services at City Hall and pays the required fee.
  2. Once paid, the Engineering Technician calculates an estimate for installing each service using the rates established in City Bylaws, and sends it to the applicant for review, along with a plan showing the proposed installation.
  3. If the applicant chooses to go ahead with the service, they return to City Hall to pay for the services as quoted, which initiates City operations to add the installation during their next servicing work program.

Private-Side Service Installations

The City is only responsible for constructing services to the property line. Any upgrades or construction on private property must be coordinated by the property owner. Any work completed to install or upgrade services within the property requires a Building Permit. There are a number of qualified civil contractors in the Castlegar area that can complete this work.

If you or a contractor will be digging on your property, please be sure a BC One Call is completed prior to work starting so that you are aware of all possible underground utilities you may encounter. This free service can be accessed at www.bc1c.ca or 1-800-474-6886.

Fees & Charges

The application fee for water and sewer service applications is $85 per application. This covers the administrative costs associated with creating the estimate, and is deducted from the cost of servicing.

The cost for a new service varies significantly by property. Bylaw 1357 – Consolidated – Water Regulations and Rates and Bylaw 1356 – Sewer Regulations and Rates have a full list of the rates used to estimate the cost.

Depending on the length and depth of the service and the amount of surface restoration required, services generally range anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 each, but can be more.

After completion of the work, the actual cost of the installation shall be determined by City staff, and any variation of more than 10% or $500, whichever is greater, from your paid fee shall be refunded by or becomes payable to the City.

Water / Sewer / Storm Service Frequently Asked Questions

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Contact Civic Works and request the Service Cards for your property. These show details for your water and sewer service, including the date of installation, location, depth, and material.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to request a service size suitable for their usage. Applicants planning work may want to hire a certified plumber to assist them in selecting the correct size of water and / or sewer service to meet BC Plumbing Code requirements.

Storm infrastructure is limited in the City of Castlegar and may not be available to all properties. You will have to contact the Engineering Department to determine whether you have storm sewer infrastructure to connect to.

If you are redeveloping a lot and want to move the location of the service, you would request both a disconnection and a new service. The City would install the new service and disconnect the old one at the main.

To improve efficiency and reduce City costs, crews generally perform service installs in batches. Once you have paid for your service, Civic Works will let you know when your service is scheduled.

No. The City only installs services to the property line, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to connect or upgrade from the property line to the serviced building.

See Water Meters for information on getting a water meter for your residence or development.

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