Water and Wastewater

Water wells

You do not need approvals or permits from Parkland County to drill a well on your land.

However, before drilling a well, we suggest you:

• Research the costs of drilling a well versus other options (i.e. cistern).
• Get a copy of your Land Title. It may have a restrictive covenant that limits if / where you can put a well on your land. Call Service Alberta at 780-427-2742 to find a local Registries office.
• Use Provincial Groundwater Information (780-427-2770) to find out if there are existing wells in your area.
• Check with your local Alberta Health Unit about water quality. Alberta Health provides water sampling. 
• Understand private water wells: "Private water well owners in Alberta are responsible for managing and maintaining their water wells. The Working Well program provides well owners with the information and tools they need to properly care for their wells."
  • See the Working Well Fact Sheet on Drilling A New Well

Private Hauler

Water Systems

The following areas are currently serviced by municipal water systems:

• Acheson Industrial Area
• Water Distribution System
• Big Lake Water Distribution System which includes:
  • Lakeshore Estates and Southern Properties
  • Helenslea and Helenslea Heath
  • Park Lane Estates
  • Country Estates
  • Countryside Ravines
  • Country Squire Estates
  • Lake Ridge Estates
  • Walker Lake Estates
  • Grandview EStates
  • Greenbriar Estates
  • Spring Meadows Estates
  • Legend Estates
• Hamlet of Entwistle Water treatment and distribution system

Water Works Rates

To apply for residential or commercial water and sewer services, please contact Public Works.

To apply for services for a property that does not yet have water and sewer lines to the property line, or to set up an account to purchase water from the Acheson Pumphouse, please complete the following forms and deliver to the Utilities Department at the County Services Building:

• Residential Water and Sewer
• Commercial Water and Sewer
• Acheson Bulk Water Purchase

For more information regarding water and water systems, contact Public Works.

For emergency after hours service, call 780-968-8401.

 Orthophosphate

For businesses and residents in the Big Lake Area, Acheson Industrial Area, Walker Lake Area, Parkland Village and the Hamlet of Wabamun, the water treatment process will change beginning in December, 2022. Orthophosphate will be added to the treatment process. Orthophosphate is safe to consume, is tasteless and odourless, occurs naturally in food, is a common additive in beverages, and is used throughout the world.

This change is due to Health Canada’s reducing the allowable concentration of lead in drinking water. Orthophosphate creates a barrier on plumbing surfaces that help prevent the release of lead into the drinking water.

Parkland County receives treated water from Edmonton’s water treatment plants, operated by EPCOR. Water supply is managed by the Capital Region Parkland Water Services Commission (CRPWSC) or the West Inter Lake District (WILD) Water Commission.

Learn more here: https://www.epcor.com/products-services/water/water-quality/lead-mitigation-strategy/Pages/orthophosphate-in-water.aspx

Municipal wastewater services 

There are two types of municipal wastewater services:

• Gravity: Most common in urban type areas and requires less maintenance. Septic tanks and pumps are not needed. 
• Low pressure: Most common in rural areas and requires customers to use septic tanks and pumps. Only the liquid wastewater is discharged into the sewer main. Solids must be trucked away for proper disposal. 

Municipal Sewer Systems are located in the following areas: 

• Acheson Industrial Area Sanitary Sewer System 
• Big Lake Water Sanitary Sewer System which includes Helenslea Heath, Helenslea Estates and Lakeshore Subdivisions 
• Tomahawk Sanitary Sewer System 
• Duffield Sanitary Sewage System 
• Regional Sewage Transfer Stations 
• Entwistle sewage collection system and lagoon 

To apply for access to the sewage transfer stations, please complete the following form and deliver to the Utilities Department:  

• Application to Discharge Wastewater
• Private Sewage Disposal Systems

If municipal wastewater services are not available, an approved on-site septic system or other treatment process is required. Septic systems on rural properties must meet certain conditions. If you are purchasing an existing property, have the system inspected by a reliable firm. 

For information about regulations and development of septic systems on rural properties, contact Planning and Development.

Private Sewage Disposal Systems

The Standard of Practice (Alberta Private Sewage Systems Standard of Practice 1999) sets out design standards, installation standards and material requirements for on-site private sewage systems handling less than 25 cubic metres (5500 Imperial gallons) expected sewage volume per day, and which include:

(a)    holding tanks and septic tanks,
(b)    packaged sewage treatment plants,
(c)    disposal fields,
(d)    treatment mounds,
(e)    open discharge systems,
(f)    sewage or effluent lagoons, and
(g)    sand filters

The objective of a private sewage system designed and installed in accordance with the above Standard is to treat and dispose of sewage and effluent so that the sewage or effluent does not present a risk to public health and does not cause degradation to the environment.

A private sewage system shall not be installed on a property:  

• that is less than 1800 sq m (19500 sq ft) unless the lot was created prior to July 1, 1992; 
• that is not of sufficient size to meet all minimum distance requirements for the intended system, and where site conditions on the property are not able to support a self sustaining private sewage system.  

An evaluation to determine that the characteristics of the site meet the requirements should include, but is not limited to:

• the existence and distance to limiting barriers in the soil such as an impervious layer of high water table; 
• the location and size of bodies of water; 
• surface water drainage characteristics; 
• volume and strength of the sewage generated by the facility being served; 
• classification and percolation rates of soils to establish the types and sizes of systems that may be used for treatment and disposal; and 
• the area available for the sewage system and distance requirements to property lines, bodies of water and water sources. 

For more information about regulations and development of septic systems on rural properties, contact Planning and Development.