Services

Water Metering

Gibsons’ Water Metres

The Town of Gibsons is committed to protecting our high-quality, fresh water supply. As part of this commitment, water meters and backflow prevention devices are required on all service connections throughout the community.

These systems help ensure water flows safely from the Town’s distribution network to homes and businesses, without the risk of contamination from private plumbing systems.

Water metres have been installed at all residential and commercial properties, and backflow prevention devices are a key requirement of our operating permit with Vancouver Coastal Health. For certain property types, such as industrial or commercial businesses, additional regulations and testing requirements apply.

Did you know?

Since Gibsons installed water meters in 2009, water use has significantly decreased. Meters help to conserve water by indicating leaks on private systems and also assist us in tracking leaks in the municipal pipe system and allow users to control what they pay.

The following chart shows the average annual water consumption in Litres/capita/day

Backflow Prevention Requirements for ICI Properties

The Town’s Bylaws require owners of Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) properties to install water metres and backflow prevention devices on their water service, enabling the Town’s water system to continue to meet rigorous provincial standards without adding chlorine to the Town’s water supply.

Backflow can occur when water pressure in the Town’s distribution system drops, causing water from private plumbing systems to reverse direction. If that water is contaminated, it can pollute the entire system. This type of risk is known as a cross-connection and must be protected with a backflow prevention device.

To maintain a safe water supply, the Province of BC mandates the installation of backflow prevention devices as a condition of the Town’s operating permit.

The ‘hazard rating’ of the business operating at any ICI property dictates the type of backflow prevention device that will be required. Refer to the Mandatory Premise Isolation Table which lists the hazard ratings for various classifications of businesses as well as the type of backflow prevention device required. If you feel that your business does not fit into any of the listed categories, please contact the Engineering Department at the Town of Gibsons, for assistance in determining the type of backflow prevention device will be required for your property.

If you already have a backflow prevention device that meets the requirements listed in the Mandatory Premise Isolation table, you will need to submit a completed Backflow Prevention Device Test Report. This form will also need to be submitted upon the installation of any new backflow prevention device as well as on an annual basis thereafter.

A reversal of flow in the customer’s water system and/or into the Town’s distribution system can be created by any change of system pressure where the pressure at the supply point becomes lower than the pressure at the point of use. When this happens in an unprotected situation the water at the point of use will be siphoned back into the system, thus potentially polluting or contaminating the remainder of the customer’s system or the public distribution system. The point at which it is possible for a contaminant to come in contact with the potable drinking water system is called a cross-connection. To prevent this backflow from occurring at the point of a cross-connection a backflow prevention device must be installed. The installation of these backflow prevention devices is mandated by the province as a condition of the Town operating its water supply and distribution system.

Most meters are installed in a plastic or concrete box near the property line. Staff must be able to quickly access meters to investigate leaks and effect repairs as required.