With the proclamation of section 33 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 in May of 2007, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) began a transition from an approvals process referred to as the Certificate of Approval (C of A) Program for municipal drinking water systems to the new Municipal Drinking Water Licensing Program (the Licensing Program). The requirement to obtain a licence and a drinking water works permit (DWWP) applies to owners of municipal residential drinking water systems. Once a licence has been issued for a drinking water system, authority for further alterations to the system will occur through the processes and procedures associated with the Licensing Program.
Watermain alterations authorized under a drinking water works permit
Under the Licensing Program, the authority to establish and alter watermains is provided by the DWWP. This instrument contains Terms and Conditions similar to a drinking water works C of A. Terms and Conditions of the DWWP preclude the City of Kingston from authorizing the addition, modification, replacement or extension of a watermain that:
- Passes under or through a body of surface water, unless trenchless construction methods are used
- Has a nominal diameter greater than 750 mm
- Connects to another drinking water system or
- Results in the fragmentation of the drinking water system.
Alterations to the City of Kingston drinking water works system by addition, modification, replacement or extension that satisfy the terms and conditions of the DWWP are submitted through the City of Kingston to Utilities Kingston for technical review.
Approved works under the DWWP are to be designed in accordance with MECP publication 7064e Watermain Design Criteria for Future Alterations Authorized Under a Drinking Water Works Permit – March 2009, as amended from time to time, and be consistent with MECP publication 6881e Design Guidelines for Drinking Water Systems, 2008. Both documents are available on the Ministry’s website. Designs must also satisfy the standards and criteria of municipal approving authorities.
Any watermain alteration that is not either designed in accordance with MECP publication 7064e or does not satisfy the conditions of the DWWP is subject to the requirement to obtain an amendment to the DWWP from the Ministry for the drinking water system prior to proceeding with the undertaking. The DWWP amendment procedure is detailed in MECP publication 7014e Guide for Applying for DWWP Amendments, Licence Amendments, Licence Renewals & New System Applications. Application for DWWP amendments that are approved by the City of Kingston signing authority are submitted directly to the Ministry for review via MECP publication 7014e01 Applications Respecting: Drinking Water Works Permits and Municipal Drinking Water Licences.
Contact Utilities Kingston prior to submitting documents.
Application requirements
A complete application submission for Watermains Authorized as a Future Alteration is to include the following documentation:
- Utilities Kingston application form “Application for Watermain Additions, Modifications, Replacements and Extensions”
- Design Brief signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer
- MECP publication Form 1 – Record of Watermains Authorized as Future Alterations (Part 2 and Part 3 only)
- MECP publication 6238e Pipe Data Form
- MECP publication 4468e Form C – Supplement to Application for Approval – Cost for Part V SDWA Applications
- Payment to Utilities Kingston
- Design drawings signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer
- AutoCAD drawing of proposed distribution system layout including pipe size
Contact Utilities Kingston to request these forms and documents, as described below.
Specific requirements for the Design Brief include: design assumptions, detailed calculations or modelling inputs and outputs, and all relevant information to support the basis of design. Applicants are encouraged to submit the AutoCAD drawing of the system layout as early in the design phase as possible to enable timely review of the impact of the proposed works on the City of Kingston distribution system by Utilities Kingston.
The MECP publications are amended from time to time. Applicants are encouraged to obtain publications directly from the MECP website to ensure that the most up-to-date version of the document is used.
The Utilities Kingston application form along with supporting documents and applicable fee are to be submitted to:
Utilities Kingston
85 Lappan's Lane
Kingston, ON K7L 4X7
Canada
Attn: Utilities Engineering - DWWP
Technical review of applications for future watermain alterations
The detailed technical review is undertaken to assess the completeness and adequacy of the submitted detailed design documentation and other supporting information, the compliance of the proposal with Ministry design criteria and guidelines and the terms and conditions of the DWWP, the conformance of the engineering design to the principles of sound engineering, and to evaluate the impacts of the proposed works on the City of Kingston drinking water system. In the process of the detailed review, it may be determined that additional information is necessary for proper assessment of the application. A request for such information will be made typically in the form of an email from the reviewer to the applicant.
Upon completion of the detailed technical review, when all outstanding issues have been addressed, the application reviewer provides recommendations on the application to the City of Kingston signing authority. Once approved by the signing authority, an electronic copy Form 1 is forwarded to the applicant, the design engineer, the City of Kingston Manager of Infrastructure and Development and the Utilities Kingston Manager of Utilities Engineering.
Inquiries regarding the filing of applications related to watermain additions, modifications, replacements or extensions can be directed to:
Robert McLachlan, Utilities Engineering
Utilities Kingston
phone: 613-546-1181, ext. 2339
fax: 613-542-1463
rmclachlan@utilitieskingston.com