Membership Information

Who We Are

Rocky View Water Co-op Ltd. is the largest rural water utility in Alberta. Established under the Alberta Rural Utilities Act, it is owned by its members, directed by an elected 9-member board and managed by a staff of three, who are employees of Bearspaw Aqua Ltd., the Co-op’s subsidiary. Its fiscal year is the calendar year. General meetings of the membership are held each year in April. Members can obtain copies of Annual Reports and Bylaws at the office.

Our Origins

During the 1980’s, many residents of the Municipal District of Rocky View in the Balzac, Symons Valley and Bearspaw areas were experiencing declining rates of flow from their wells as well as deteriorating quality and recognized the need for a reliable source and system of supply. They came together and the Co-op was formed soon after. Bearspaw Aqua Ltd. and its raw water supply facilities were acquired and by 1992 construction had begun on water treatment, storage and distribution facilities to serve these communities.

Water Diversion and Operating Authorities

The Co-op is subject to the following licenses and a comprehensive Alberta Environment regulatory process:

1. A license to divert or withdraw up to 1,413 acre-feet of water annually from Bearspaw Reservoir on the Bow River for domestic consumptive use. It can also withdraw up to 377 additional acre-feet annually under a license issued to supply raw water for irrigation at Bearspaw Golf Course and the treatment plants of several smaller co-ops.
2. A license to operate its treatment plant, storage facilities and distribution system. This license was issued with the conditions that all water supplied must be flow controlled and metered.

Water Supply Facilities

The Co-op’s raw water supply facilities presently include approximately 8 kilometers of 300 and 250 millimeter transmission main from an intake and pump station at Bearspaw Reservoir to a 3-hectare reservoir with a 225,000 cubic meter storage capacity at the plant site. Several raw water users are served from connecting pipelines. As well, there is a reservoir and waterline integrated with the lake system in Church Ranches for irrigation supply to Bearspaw Golf Course.

The Co-op’s treated water supply facilities presently include a recently expanded 2-unit plant capable of processing water at the rate of 76 liters per second. There are reservoirs at the plant, Symons Valley and Balzac with storage capacities of 2,500, 250 and 1,225 cubic meters, respectively. A continually expanding distribution system presently includes more than 200 kilometers of 40 millimeter to 400 millimeter waterlines and 2 booster stations.

Statement of Service Capability

Each unit of the Co-op’s 2-train plant can treat up to 2,280 liters per minute or 1,000 Capacity Units, the basic measure used for supply capacity purposes. One Capacity Unit in the context of the Co-op’s flow restricted system provides for an instantaneous supply of 22.725 liters per minute and an average maximum flow of 2.2725 liters per minute or 3272.4 liters per day.  This equates to monthly, quarterly and annual values of 100, 300 and 1,200 cubic meters, respectively. Average Capacity Unit use – reflecting mostly residential domestic use – is approximately 40% on an annual basis.

One Capacity Unit is capable of supplying all residential domestic needs but there can be performance limitations when there are multiple simultaneous uses and/or significant outside water uses. Performance can be enhanced by the installation of appropriately sized pressure tanks or constant pressure systems. Performance can also be enhanced by the purchase of one or more additional Capacity Units but this is a more costly option.

Water for Fire Suppression

One Capacity Unit can accommodate a residential sprinkler system in most dwellings, with the Co-op’s specifications requiring them to be connected ahead of the Water Supply Control Panel. Larger structures require on site storage and/or additional Capacity Units. Off-line dry hydrants can be accommodated on the distribution system but not conventional on-line fire hydrants, with one exception to the latter. At the developer’s expense, 200mm waterlines with 700-gallon-per-minute fire hydrants were installed in Church Ranches.

Membership Growth

During its brief history, more than 2000 Capacity Units have been purchased by individuals and developers, reflecting that the value of a safe, reliable and high quality water supply has been recognized by both old and new residents of the Balzac, Symons Valley and Bearspaw areas. More than 1100 of these Capacity Units are now in service supplying developed residential, commercial and institutional properties. With an annual growth rate averaging 10%, the system has been designed to accommodate incremental expansion of the treatment, storage and distribution components. This is exemplified by the recent projects to double the treatment plant capacity and to construct field reservoirs and booster stations to improve service in both the Bearspaw and Balzac areas.

Membership Eligibility

Individual property owners located in the service area of the Co-op’s treated water supply system are eligible for Membership in Rocky View Water Co-op Ltd. Corporate Membership in the Co-op is allowed but cannot exceed 10% of the total Membership.

Membership Benefits

Purchase of a Membership in the Co-op and one Capacity Unit provides the right to have Service Connection installed on the treated water distribution system at a mutually agreed and appropriate location at the member’s expense. It also gives each Member participation rights in the form of one vote as a shareholder exercisable at annual and special general meetings and the potential opportunity to serve as a member of the nine-person Board of Directors or one of its committees either by invitation or through personal initiative. Members who are subdividing and developing property can purchase additional Capacity Units and the associated rights to connect but cannot acquire additional voting rights.

Membership and Capacity Unit Acquisition and Costs

The current Membership Fee is $10.00, for which one Class A Voting Share will be issued. Purchase of a Membership must be accompanied by the acquisition of at least one Capacity Unit either by purchase or transfer. The current purchase is $25,000.00. The current Capacity Unit Transfer Fee is $250.00. A certificate for 10,000 Class B Non-Voting Shares is issued for a Capacity Unit acquired by purchase or transfer. The certificates of both classes of shares are held in safekeeping for members by the Co-op and are subject to cancellation when a membership is sold and transferred. Ten thousand Class B Trust Non-Voting Shares are issued for each Capacity Unit purchased by a member for property development purposes but no certificates are prepared. A Water Supply Control Panel currently priced at $750.00 must also be purchased when the Capacity Unit(s) assigned to each service connection are purchased. A $150.00 Meter Commissioning Fee is payable when a Water Supply Control Panel is issued for installation.

Treated Water Connections

Members are responsible for the cost of installing (in the case of new connections) and maintaining their connections, which consists of the waterlines to the residence from the Co-op’s treated water distribution system but not the fittings at the points of connection. Each connection must be installed by a qualified contractor and be in compliance with the Co-op’s published specifications. The work must be carried out under the Co-op’s supervision and is subject to passing a final inspection before water will be supplied. A list of qualified contractors with relevant experience is available from the Co-op. The Co-op is responsible for the cost of maintaining and repairing the service valve near the point of each connection, the connection fittings and the components of the water supply control panels located in each residence. Maintenance and repair required because of negligence or damage caused by a Member or a Member’s contractor or agent is the responsibility of the Member.

Treated Water Rates, Billing & Metering

Members are billed quarterly for treated water supplied by Rocky View Water Co-op Ltd.  At the present time, charges include a base rate of $30.00 plus consumption rates of $0.93 per cubic meter (for amounts consumed up to and including 300 cubic meters) and $1.86 per cubic meter (for amounts consumed in excess of 300 cubic meters). 

With few exceptions, meter readings for billing purposes are communicated automatically by an INVENSYS PHONREAD system. For verification purposes, if needed, each meter can also be read visually at the meter head and remotely at an exterior touch pad.

Quarterly billings are prepared by Bearspaw Aqua Ltd., the Co-op’s operating subsidiary, and mailed to members in the first week of the subsequent quarter. Water bills must be paid within 30 days to avoid the assessment of late payment charges specified by the Co-op’s Bylaws. Most members use the convenient pre-authorized debit system to ensure that their bills are paid on time and many Members have set up Internet payment arrangements. Cash payments are also accepted but not credit or debit cards.

Revised April 1, 2009