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Water

The Water Division is responsible for distribution of potable water to 11,500 customers as well as commercial and industry customers.

We maintain 55 km of water mains with 4,500 water meters and 281 fire hydrants. Routine maintenance includes watermain flushing (cleaning), valve operating, fire hydrant preventive maintenance, air valve repair and connection installation.

The Town receives water from the CRD trunk distribution system from Sooke Lake. The goal of the Division is to ensure that the water distribution system is maintained to Provincial standards to provide clean and safe drinking water. The Water Department operates out of the Underground Utilities Department and can be reached by telephone at 250-656-1034 during regular working hours and250-656-1184 after hours.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q.	I need my water shut off.
A.	Please contact the Town's 24-hour phone number at 250-656-1184 for assistance with Water Service shut off.
Q.	I see water running out of the ground or road.
A.	Call the 24-hour emergency number at 250-656-1184.
Q.	My water is discolored.
A.	This sometimes happens when air gets in the water system, run your cold water for 5 minutes.

Water Saving Ideas

• Hand Dishwashing: 18 minutes with tap running half open uses 25 gallons
• Washing and rinsing in sink or dishpan uses only 6 gallons..
• Automatic Dishwasher: 11 to 14 gallons full cycle; 8 - 9 gallons short cycle.
• Accumulate dishes, run only when full.
• Faucet Dripping: 15 to 21 gallons per day. It's easy to put in a new faucet washer and it costs just a few cents.
• Bath: 36 gallons full tub; one-third still gets you clean.
• Shower: 12 gallons per minute; with flow restrictor - 3 gallons per minute. To cut down even more, wet down, soap up, then rinse off.

Many more water saving tips can be found at the CRDwebsite.

In the Event of an Emergency

In the event of a problem involving water, sewer, drainage, and roads call 250-656-1034 duringregular business hours 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday or call the Public Works 24-hour emergency line at 250-656-1184 after hours and speak to the Town's 24hr answering service provider. 

Water Rates
Water Connection Fees

WATERMAIN BREAK PREPAREDNESS

Overview of the Town’s general operations and preparedness in regard to water system failure prevention and response:

The first “line of defence” is to mitigate the chance of such an event in the first place. The Town of Sidney has a replacement program for water valves that is imbedded into the Watermain Replacement Plan (part of our Infrastructure Renewal Plans).

Water mains are different than sewer and storm mains in that a watermain functions under pressure, and it is generally not practical or convenient to the public to shut a main down and drain it (leaving residents without service) to send a camera through the pipe to inspect the interior. This of course would then require subsequent disinfection and health testing of the main before putting it back into service (it also takes a number of days to get the test results back from the lab). The fact that water systems operate under pressure tends to make most failures quite abrupt and impossible to anticipate.

When conducting watermain maintenance and replacement activities on a live system, the procedure that the Town typically follows before starting work on a live water main is to first locate the upstream and downstream isolation valves, and then to close one of the valves completely, while closing the other valve approximately ¾ of the way. In this manner, domestic service is maintained yet, if the water main at the worksite area were to let go, the flows would be greatly reduced because of the semi-isolation. In addition to this, all Public Works utility trucks are equipped with up to date water, sewer, and storm drain system schematic drawings which identifies the location of system features such as watermain line (shut off) valves.

Notwithstanding the forgoing, there is no guarantee that a water main or valve, etc. will not break. The causes vary and may be due to third parties (contractors, utility companies, etc.) or material failure, for example. However, the Public Works staff are properly trained and equipped to deal with these situations quickly and to minimize property and/or environmental damage.

For more detailed information, please contact the Engineering Department at 250-656-4502.