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Background
Historically, infill developers have provided all of the water infrastructure required to serve a new development and/or upgrade an existing area. However, upgrades that improve fire protection in core, mature, and established areas benefit the entire neighbourhood. An agreement has been reached on a methodology to share costs between infill developers, ratepayers, and the City's Fire Rescue Services department.
Following the success of a pilot project in 2020 and 2021, EPCOR has allocated $20.2 million to the cost share approach for 2022-2026.
Infill cost share approach
Workshops were held in 2018 between the City of Edmonton and the Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) to discuss options for a cost share approach. Based on feedback from the workshops, the Infill Working Committee formed by the City, EPCOR, and IDEA developed an approach that would:
With the proposed cost share approach, developers continue to pay for upgrades and installations that would primarily benefit a new development, including:
For developments selected for the cost share project, upgrades that benefit all users will be funded by water ratepayers and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, including:
This cost share approach will allow some projects to proceed that otherwise may have been deemed unviable by the infill developer. Following the success of a pilot in 2020 and 2021, the project is now funded for 2022 through 2026.
Eligibility
Only applicants / developers who have received responses for zoning applications, pre-application submissions, or development permit applications from the City of Edmonton are eligible to apply for funding consideration by the Infill Cost Share project. These applications must have obtained advisements or conditions of approval (that entail the construction of a public water distribution system, which involves water mains and associated appurtenances) from the City of Edmonton.
Infill project ranking criteria
To determine which projects will receive funding, developers must submit their applications to EPCOR at waterinfillcostshare@epcor.com. The submissions will be ranked based on the six criteria listed below. Projects with the highest ranking will receive funding to cover the cost of Expansions and Realignments until funding for the acceptance period is fully allocated. Infill developers would then be required to pay all remaining fire protection costs and upgrades.
Ranking process
The points awarded in each category will be used to derive a total score for the project's ranking. In the case of projects with identical total scores priority will be given to the project(s) that have the best project coordination and where the highest number of proposed developments benefit from the project. If a tie still exists, the project with the lowest required funding will be selected. The final selection criteria will be based on which project had the earliest application date.
Projects that do not receive funding in the first year of their application may be eligible for funding in a subsequent year. If the timelines or surety of the cost share program do not meet the developer's needs, they can contract EPCOR to complete the works at the developer's expense.
Alternatively, developers may complete the works themselves at their expense under a servicing agreement as long as the risks posed to public health and the integrity of the water distribution and transmission system by the required works are deemed acceptable by EPCOR. Another option is for the applicant to hire EPCOR at a full cost-of-service to complete the construction on their behalf under the Water Customer Infrastructure Requests program. For more information on this program, contact waterdtinfrastructure@epcor.com.
How to apply
Complete the project submission form below to apply or provide updates on your project. The completed form is to be e-mailed to waterinfillfireprotection@epcor.com.
Application process
The information provided on the form will be reviewed by EPCOR and scores assigned for each of the criteria. Applicants will be informed of their project's total score. If the status of the project changes, the applicant will need to provide updated information to EPCOR to update the project's evaluation.
For the 2024 construction season, there will be two acceptance periods, allotting half of the available funding in each period:
For the 2025 construction season, the first acceptance cutoff date will be September 27, 2024, with additional cutoff dates to be determined.
The Infill Fire Protection Program will be monitored by the EPCOR/IDEA/City of Edmonton Infill Working Committee with annual check-ins to refine criteria, monitor selected developments, and resolve issues. Data will be collected for the duration of the program and incorporated into subsequent program years.
Additional questions
Eligible applicants who require additional information can submit questions through waterinfillfireprotection@epcor.com.