Become a RDCK Water Service
Moratorium Lifted
In July 2024, the Board approved the 2024 Water and Wastewater Acquisition Plan and rescinded the long-standing moratorium on the acquisition of water and wastewater systems that had been in place since August 2011. As part of this process, the Board also approved the 2024 Water and Wastewater Systems Acquisition Plan and 2024 Water and Wastewater Systems Acquisition Policy as key documents to help guide the process.
The objective of the acquisition plan and policy is to offer long term solutions to small water systems in the region. Many of these water systems face a number of challenges, including water quality issues, aging infrastructure, and inadequate cost recovery. Any water and wastewater system located within the boundaries of the RDCK can submit an Expression of Interest to become a RDCK service.
RDCK Now Accepting Expression of Interest Submissions
Many rural water systems experience difficulties with sustainable and compliant operations. Reasons typically include:
- Inadequate cost recovery
- Aging infrastructure
- Depleted financial reserves
- Inadequate system maintenance
- Loss of interest by volunteers in continued operations
- Inaccessibility of grant funding opportunities
- Inadequate treatment
- Volunteer retirement
In light of these challenges, owners of small water and wastewater systems, and the residents that are served by them, may be interested in transferring ownership and operation of their system to the Regional District.
The Regional District can offer long term solutions to many of these challenges including, but not limited to: experience with lifecycle asset management planning, access to sustainable long term funding, access to grants, experience with project management and procurement for capital projects, reliable operations and maintenance, staff with experience in water science and engineering, and good water quality for users. Additionally, the Regional District has experience in developing sustainable asset management plans, financial plans and rate structures to support systems. The RDCK has also completed many successful capital infrastructure projects, including linear infrastructure replacement and water quality upgrades, supply upgrades, construction of storage reservoirs, and implementation of water metering.
The Acquisition Process
Under the Local Government Act, Regional District services, including water and wastewater services, are required to be fully financially independent. Each utility is operated as a discrete service and all costs incurred by a water or wastewater service must be fully paid-for by the benefiting users, with the exception of funds from grants, if available. Any water or wastewater utility that is located within the district is eligible to apply to the RDCK to be considered for acquisition and conversion to a RDCK service. The Regional District does not seek out systems to acquire – this is an applicant initiated process. Acquisitions will be based on a comprehensive business case for service establishment, considering community benefits, regional impact, and sustainable growth, with a detailed assessment of the following:
- Potential benefit of the acquisition to the water users and community
- Potential costs to users
- Evaluation and prioritization of acquisitions
- Potential Regional District and staffing impact
- Manageable growth in the region
- Water and wastewater systems sustainability
Submitting an Application:
Systems will be prioritized based on evaluation ranking. It is anticipated that on average only one or two systems will be acquired per year, depending on system needs, the impact to Regional District resources and the timing of any required staffing and equipment increases. The Acquisition Process itself is expected to take 1.5 to 2.5 years. This diagram summarizes the application process for utilities interested in becoming a Regional District service.
Expressions of Interests shall be submitted by person(s) authorized by their service to represent their service. Authorized persons can start the process by completing the fillable PDF below and emailing to WaterContact@rdck.bc.ca once completed. In your email, please also attach:
- A recent Annual Financial Statement including a balance of all accounts
- Existing system mapping
- Any relevant studies or reports
Expression of Interest Fillable Form
In the subject line of our email please include the name of your water or wastewater system and “EOI Submission”. Following receipt and review of your submission, a RDCK Utility Services representative will contact you to discuss next steps.
The Regional District has listed several resource documents or best practices for the operation and management of small water and wastewater systems:
BC Water and Waste Association BCWWA - BC Small Water Systems Community Network
Small Water Systems Guidebook – Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health – Treatment Objectives for Surface Water in BC
Improvement District Manual and Improvement District Conversion Guide
British Columbia Small Water Systems Online Help Centre (Thompson Rivers University initiative)
The content on this page was last updated December 20 2024 at 1:05 AM