EPCOR Utilities Inc. services

Eavestroughs or rain gutters collect runoff (rainfall and snow melt) from your roof and direct it away from the walls of your house and your foundation. Eavestroughs are located directly below your roofline and lead to and connect with the downspout at the corner of the roof. The downspout (a hollow pipe) ends in an elbow and is connected to an extension directs the stormwater 1.5 to 2m away from your house towards the street or back lane. In a narrow yard, a shorter extension can rest on a splash pad. A splash pad is made of concrete or plastic and it slopes away from the wall. 

Proper grading is critical in preventing water from getting into your home. Grading starts at your basement wall and moves water away from your home towards the street. Dirt or sod should slope down from the wall at a continuous angle for at least 1.5 to 2 meters. If you have decorative rock next to your foundation, take measurements from where the dirt begins.

Stormwater on your property should be channeled towards the stormwater drainage system. This is done through surface drainage (swales and grading). To protect your home from flooding, weeping tile is often used. Weeping tile is a perforated plastic pipe that surrounds and protects the foundation of your home.  It sits on a bed of gravel, allowing excess groundwater to seep into it. This water is channeled to either the sump pump if you have one (in your basement) or directly to the drainage system.  

When you sign up for water and wastewater service in the Edmonton area, we`ll also enrol you for drainage and waste services on behalf of the City of Edmonton. If you live in an apartment, your landlord may already be paying for water and waste. Remember to keep your billing information up-to-date by calling us at 310-4300 when you move in to your new home and when you move out of your old one. That way, your bill reflects your correct usage.

We`re always improving our distribution system to minimize the number of interruptions affecting your water service. This includes budgeting around $40 million annually for renewal projects and long term infrastructure sustainability projects like replacing cast iron pipe with PVC pipe.

UDF simply means guiding water in a single direction through the pipes by systematically closing valves and releasing it through fire hydrants. Most utilities use some form of flushing in a regular maintenance schedule by opening a hydrant in the distribution system and flushing for an extended period of time to move water. The process is known as traditional flushing. Although lots of water is moved, this is not a very effective means for cleaning inside the water mains, as the water is moving from multiple directions at a slower velocity. UDF, on the other hand, involves the systematic closing of valves and opening of hydrants to create a single direction of flow. All that water flowing in one direction results in faster velocity and more turbulent flow, which means cleaner mains. We flush from largest mains to smallest mains and the cleanest mains to dirtier mains. This ensures dirty water is not being pushed into clean pipes, and that the pressure stays high.