ATTACHMENT 3: REVISED WATER SERVICING PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES

ATTACHMENT 3: REVISED WATER SERVICING PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES

Principles

I. Promote settlement patterns that are cost-effective and efficient to service; II. Consider the current and future costs of infrastructure design, construction, maintenance and operation when considering whether to provide for new services or extend existing services; III. Minimize negative financial impacts to those currently serviced (impacts to consider system life cycle costs); and IV. Avoid negatively impacting the long-term availability of the service for existing development and planned growth within the Urban Containment Policy Area boundary, recognizing the impacts of climate change.

Policies

1. Manage infrastructure services, including water supply and distribution, in accordance with the principles set out in Objectives 2.1 (Protect, Conserve and Manage Ecosystem Health) and 2.2 (Manage Regional Infrastructure Services Sustainably). Before approving a new water service bylaw, the full CRD Board must review the request for the new bylaw as it relates to the Regional Growth Strategy and deem the new bylaw consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy. This review is to include a detailed analysis of costs and cost recovery implications, including implications related to parcel taxes, fees, charges and grants, and subject to the principles as noted above. Full costs of water service extensions will be borne by new users. Lifecycle costs of water service extensions will be borne to the maximum extent possible by new users.
2. Provide new water system services (public or private) only to areas where Official Community Plans contain strong growth management provisions and where: a. For a municipality, the areas to be serviced are shown on Map 3 as either Urban Containment Policy Area or Rural/Rural Residential Policy Area and the area to be serviced is consistent with Official Community Plan servicing provisions and an accepted Regional Context Statement identifies the population to be serviced and how growth in water demand will be addressed. b. For the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area outside the Urban Containment Policy Area, the areas to be serviced are limited to East Sooke and Otter Point as shown on Map 5 as within a Water Service Area, with total development of existing and new units in East Sooke and Otter Point not exceeding 3384 units. The applicable Official Community Plan must identify the population to be serviced and how growth in water demand will be addressed. c. For the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area inside the Urban Containment Policy Area, the areas to be serviced are shown on Map 3 as Urban Containment Policy Area and the area to be serviced is consistent with Official Community Plan servicing provisions and the applicable Official Community Plan identifies the population to be serviced and how growth in water demand will be addressed.
3. Notwithstanding policy 2.2(2), the CRD may extend water service if required to address a pressing public health, public safety or environmental issue relating to existing units.
4. Notwithstanding Policy 2.2(2), the CRD may extend water service to service agriculture. Where water service is extended to service agriculture, water service may be provided to residential units along the serviced line on lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve as long as an Official Community Plan is in place that prevents further subdivision or an increase in permitted residential density.
5. Do not further extend urban sewer services outside the Urban Containment Policy Area Boundary depicted on Map 3.
6. Notwithstanding policies 2.2(2) and 2.2(4), evaluate requests for services from jurisdictions outside of Capital Regional District membership with a view towards supporting mutually beneficial relationships and fostering development consistent with all RGS objectives and policies.