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Facts for Homeowners

 



If you have questions about contractors, water meter installation or specific work required on your property, please submit your inquiry through our Service Request Form. 


 
About this project

This new system will transport wastewater from about 1,800 properties in South St. Andrews to the North End Pollution Control Centre in Winnipeg. This will greatly reduce how frequently holding tanks must be pumped out and will assist the transition away from septic fields in this environmentally sensitive area.
 
For more information, please submit your inquiry through our Service Request Form and see the FAQs page.
 

Costs to homeowners

Users of the service will be responsible for three different types of costs which are explained below. You can also download a PDF showing all of these costs in one chart.

1.  Your share of the public infrastructure cost

Every property in the service area will pay an equal portion of the RM’s capital cost to build the public infrastructure and extend it to everyone’s property lines. The fee for each household is $7,264.37.
 
Unless you've already prepaid this fee, you will pay it over a 20-year period with your property taxes. The payment of $505.37 was automatically added to your tax bill, starting in 2021.


2. The cost of work on your property and the one-time connection fee

When you are getting ready to connect to the system, you will be responsible for these costs:
  • Any equipment and work needed on your property, including installation, maintenance and required upgrades, and
  • A one-time connection fee to the City of Winnipeg.
Based on information from contractors and installations to date, the average cost of the work required on a property is about $6,300. However, costs can be higher because of challenges such as failing tanks, pumps or underground services that make pushing the pipe to the home more complex.

The best way to determine your costs is to contact an approved contractor.
 
The one-time connection fee will be $3,000 for 5/8" water meters in 2022 and will increase over time. For 2023, it will be $3,100.

3.  Your share of the cost to operate the system

Once your household is hooked up, you will receive a quarterly bill for your use of the system. The bill will include a basic participation fee plus a charge for the number of cubic meters your household has used during the quarter. 

These initial interim rates were approved by The Public Utilities Board in May 2021.
 
  2022
Quarterly Service Charge    $80.82   
Wastewater (per cubic meter)   $3.57
Minimum Quarterly Charge *   $130.80   
Utilities buy-in Charge$3,000.00
       *Based on 14 cubic meters 

 

Amendments to the Onsite Wastewater Management Systems Regulation 

The Onsite Wastewater Management Systems (OWMS) Regulation, under The Environment Act was amended. Effective October 29, 2021, the time required for properties with onsite wastewater systems to connect with new municipal wastewater infrastructure is extended from five to 10 years. This means that properties that are required but have not yet connected to existing municipal sewer systems will have up to December 31, 2031 to connect. All other properties will have 10 years starting from when the municipal lines are in place. Furthermore, limited exemptions to the immediate connection requirements for certain administrative land transactions have been included.

Read more about these amendments along with Frequently Asked Questions here. 

Municipal Collection Systems FAQs

Q:  I am connected to the sewer system and have sold my property - what do I need to do prior to moving? 

A. You need to contact the RM Office with the following information so that a final bill can be sent to you and to set up the property with the new owner information. We require: Possession Date, Final Meter Read, Forwarding Address/Contact information.

Q: How do I determine if a property is serviced by municipal sewer?

A: Contact your local municipality. They can assist you in determining if a property can be serviced by a municipal collection system.

Q: I’m interested in purchasing a property and I’m wondering if I’ll be required to connect to municipal sewer. How long will I have to connect?

A: If a municipal sewer connection is available the connection must be made before the property transfer tanks place. If you purchase a property that had sewer service available and the previous owner did not connect you will have two years in which to connect to the sewer.

Q: Can I use my current septic tank to connect to municipal sewer service? 

A: Please contact the local municipality to verify system requirements for connection. In some cases, the existing septic tank can be connected to the municipal sewer depending on the condition, size and physical location of the tank. 

Q: Do I need a permit from your Department to install a septic tank that will be hooked up to a municipal collection system?

A: No, if the septic tank is being used in conjunction with a municipal sewer hookup we do not consider it to be part of an onsite wastewater management system and no permit/registration is required.