Show All Answers

1. What is a water service?

Water service is the in-ground pipe that distributes water to each residence in the Town. There are two sections to each water service, the Town-owned infrastructure which is built, owned and maintained by the Town of Cochrane, and the Property owner’s infrastructure, which is built by the home builder, owned and maintained by the property owner. These two sections are separated by the property line, and ‘curb stop’ water valve located at the property line between the Town & property owner.

2. What causes a service leak?

Service leaks can occur from deterioration after years of usage, extreme temperature fluctuations, flaws in the material or installation and soil type.

3. What are the responsibilities of a homeowner and the Town with regards to a water service?

The Town owns the water service from the water main to the curb stop valve and that infrastructure is Town responsibility. The pipe from the ‘curb stop’ valve and property line is the responsibility of the property owner. The Town advises that all residents are aware of their responsibilities and encourage property owners to check their insurance policies for specific coverage for leaks and breaks in the water service on the property owner’s side.

The drawing below identifies the placement of typical water service system components and the delineation between Town and property owner responsibilities (‘Blue’ for Town, and ‘Orange’ for Property Owner).  

4. What do I do if I suspect I have a leak on my property?

There are specific items that a homeowner can watch for which may indicate an issue with their water service, such as:

• A significant reduction in water pressure within the home.
• The sump pump in the basement running regularly.
• Constant water running noise emanating from the basement, with no visible source.
• Soft/wet ground not associated with an irrigation system

If you think you may have an issue, Town of Cochrane staff are available to investigate and help determine if there is a leak on the water service connection. This is a complimentary service provided at no charge to the property owner.

Please contact the Water and Wastewater department if you have any questions at 403-851-2590 or via our web contact form at cochrane.ca/Water.

5. How does the Town check for leaks?

In alignment with the Town of Cochrane’s commitment to responsible stewardship of our valuable water resources and enhanced water system resiliency, the Operations, Water & Wastewater Department will shortly be initiating a systematic water system integrity survey with the goal of identifying and repairing areas of underground water distribution system leakage throughout the Town.

This multi-year project will analyze all Town-owned water system piping infrastructure up to and including the ‘curb stop’ water valve located at the property line between the Town & property owner. Throughout our inspections, there is a chance that water leaks or breaks may be identified on the property owner’s side of the service connection, and it may be the responsibility of the property owner to repair or replace the service connection on their property.

6. What happens if a leak is discovered in my water service?

If a leak is found on the property owner’s side of the water service, it is the property owner’s responsibility to make any necessary repairs. Ignoring an identified system water leak could result in an unexpected water service failure and/or foundation damage to the home or adjacent properties.  

The Town encourages residents to check their insurance policies for coverage for such an event.