Engineering Bulletins

All capitalized terms in this bulletin have the same meaning as defined in ESC Bylaw No. 21181 (the “Bylaw”).

To assist City staff in providing efficient and timely review of ESC Plans, this bulletin is to provide clarification to consultants taking on the role of the ESC Professional; specifically, in relation to the City’s requirements and expectations pertaining to the development of, and City review of, the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESC Plan).

The ESC Professional and Erosion & Sediment Control Plan

Repealed ESC Bylaw No. 16138 separated out the roles between the ESC designer and that of the ESC supervisor.  Under ESC Bylaw No. 21181 both roles are combined as the “ESC Professional”; whereby, the consultant takes responsibility for all aspects of a project’s ESC performance for the entire project lifecycle, removing the historical perceived disconnect between the ESC Plan design and its performance.

The following excerpts from the Bylaw define the ESC Professionals role and duties:

15. The ESC Professional is responsible for:
    • preparing the ESC Plan;
    • demonstrating how the ESC Plan will comply with this Bylaw;
    • supervising the implementation of the ESC Facilities in accordance with the ESC Plan;
    • report on the status of, and provide confirmation that, the ESC Facilities have been constructed and installed pursuant to the ESC Plan, in accordance with minimum inspection frequency in Schedule B of this Bylaw;
    • notifying the Owner and contractor immediately of corrective actions should corrective actions be required to ensure that the Construction remains compliant with this Bylaw; and
    • amending the ESC Plan, should the ESC Facilities fail to achieve this Bylaw;
16. The ESC Professional must sign and seal all amendments to the ESC Plan and submit them to the City within 5 business days.

Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Requirements 

To further assist City staff in providing efficient and timely review of ESC Plans, the ESC Professional is to develop ESC Plans to the following criteria and considerations:  

• Prepare the ESC Plan in accordance with the Joint Professional Practice Guidelines — Erosion and Sediment Control, developed by the College of Applied Biologists, the BC Institute of Agrologists, and Engineers and Geoscientists BC (version 1.0).
• Submit a completed, signed and sealed, Erosion and Sediment Control Assurance Statement as defined in Appendix A of the Joint Professional Practice Guidelines — Erosion and Sediment Control.
• Specify all the proposed ESC Facilities deemed necessary by the ESC Professional to ensure that the Construction works can be completed without contravention of the Bylaw, specifically:
  • Section 4 – prevent the Discharge of Sediment or Sediment-laden water to the City’s Stormwater Drainage System: 75 mg/l TSS.
  • Section 6 – Preventing Sediment being deposited on a Highway.
  • Section 7 – Not installing an ESC Facility that obstructs or diverts the conveyance of stormwater in the City’s Stormwater Drainage System.
• Demonstrate how any water leaving areas defined by Construction will achieve the permissible WQ criteria, as defined by section 4 of the Bylaw based on the:
  1. 5-yr design storm event
  2. *Soil D₂₀ values and soil texture % ratios for each dominant soil type that will be exposed for each ESC plan stage, and
  3. Using a minimum runoff coefficient of 0.6 for bare exposed soils influenced by construction compaction. Note that soils with high clay content will exhibit higher runoff potential.
• Clearly identify all drainage catchment boundaries for the proposed ESC facilities and how the specified ESC Facilities are appropriate placed based on (1), (2), and (3) as stated above.
• Provide documentation to support the use of any Lands not owned by the Construction Owner or on a Highway, should they propose to use these areas for the placement of the ESC Facilities.
• Demonstrate that the stormwater discharge during construction does not exceed the allowable post construction flow rate as specified by the City in the approved stormwater control plan for the project.

• When specifying either a sediment control pond or flocculent treatment for sediment capture, the ESC professional shows design calculations using the following minimum criteria.

  sediment control pond:

  • *Design to the D₂₀ soil particle size settling velocity @ 5 ^oC
  • Incorporate porous baffles with a porosity >50%
  • Show the internal flow path calculation and L:W ratio between each inlet and the outlet structure for each sub catchment contributing to the pond.
  • Specify a floating skimmer outlet device with a drawdown time of 72hrs

  flocculent treatment system:

  • Use the modified rational method as per the City of Surrey Municipal Design Criteria to show the treatment rate sizing calculations
  • Specify the use of a secondary filter in addition to the settling tanks to reduce residual chemical discharge to the City’s Stormwater Drainage System
     
• Specify appropriate site exit controls to prevent the transportation and migration of Sediment onto the adjacent Highways due to site traffic (section 6).
• Include all details and specifications required for the contractor to successfully implement the ESC Facilities as intended i.e. detail view, sizing specifications, installation detail view.
• Show phased ESC plans that clearly specify what ESC Facilities are required for the corresponding phased Construction works, installation sequencing, and removal criteria.
• Delineate any environmentally sensitive areas, omitting the placement of ESC Facilities within these areas unless it is demonstrated that the ESC Facility will not negatively impact the area's values.
• Identify and specify monitoring points at all points of Discharge into the Stormwater Drainage System c/w ID identifiers i.e. MP-1, MP-2 for ease of reference in the inspection reports.
• Identify the pre and post grading contours that correspond to the stage specific works shown on the staged ESC drawings, c/w cut and fill limits, and how the changing drainage is factored into the stage specific ESC Facilities

Any deviation from the criteria listed in this bulletin may be presented for consideration if supported by defensible published reference material that shows that the proposed methodology provides a superior method for ensuring that the Construction will remain compliant with the Bylaw.

It is acknowledged that while the soil particle size distribution curve and the soil texture percentages are design fundamentals that underpin diligent ESC Design; many existing designs are prepared without this information.  ESC Professionals should attempt to start factoring in this key performance variable; however, this information may be omitted from ESC Plans submitted prior to February 1, 2025. After this date, this information must accompany the ESC Plan submission and clearly referenced in the proposed ESC Design methodology.

Should you have any questions related to the updates please contact: Trent Hatfield - Engineering Environment Section: trhatfield@surrey.ca. 

The City of Surrey has updated its Design Criteria Manual (“DCM”) and Supplementary Master Municipal Construction Document (“SMMCD”). These changes will allow us to continue to meet the needs of the City relative to infrastructure servicing, maintenance and operations.

View the updated DCM and SMMCD

The Engineering Standards documents were last updated in 2020. Since the last edition, the City has continued to experience significant growth, and Council have also approved a series of Secondary Land Use Plans and implemented Policy updates that support development and housing affordability.  Over this period of time, the City and region have experienced more severe rainfall events and a need for increased water conservation, while creating a strong desire for improved urban public realm standards.

At the same time, regional municipalities, engineers, and the construction industry have developed an updated Master Municipal Construction Document (“MMCD”), 2019 edition published in 2021, which provides a fundamental consistent approach to construction standards and quality specifications for municipalities across the Province.  Lastly, the City implemented a number of housekeeping amendments recently, including changes in zoning designations in accordance with the Province’s Bill 44 Housing legislation for Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing.

To support these various changes over the past four years, the City’s Engineering Standards have been updated, with emphasis on continuous improvement by ensuring the amendments integrate all the above changes and provide desired clarity and harmonization across Bylaw, Engineering Standards, applicable City policies, and Neighbourhood Concept Plans.

The DCM and SMMCD updates shall apply to all Land Development projects if, prior to October 7, 2024:

• The 100% design/Servicing Agreement drawings have not been accepted; or
• The pre-construction meeting has not been held; or
• A Servicing Agreement extension has not been returned.

The DCM and SMMCD updates shall apply to all Design & Construction Capital Projects that have not submitted a 90% detail design by October 7, 2024.

Should you have any questions related to the updates please contact Victor Jhingan, Director, Project Delivery, at 604-591-4339 or by email at VJhingan@surrey.ca.

On April 8, 2024, the existing Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw was repealed and replaced with Bylaw No. 21181, a “Bylaw for the Implementation of Erosion and Sediment Control Measures during Construction”.  This new bylaw aims to to improve the permitting process, reduce duplication of permits, and introduce more standard erosion and control best management practices for small construction sites. The following information outlines the key changes to the bylaw and provides context for new criteria.

Key requirements under Bylaw No 21181:

• An Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) Authorization is required for all construction on lands with a “developable area” of 4,000 m² (0.4 ha) or greater, or if there is excavation deeper than 3 m below the lowest site elevation.
• Lands with developable area less than 0.4 ha shall be subject to standard best management practices as shown in Schedule A of the bylaw, which includes: stabilized construction access, perimeter control, stockpile management, and on-site drainage inlet protection.
• An ESC Authorization would include terms and conditions under a Servicing Agreement, or an ESC Permit for lands not requiring a Servicing Agreement.
• Regardless of site size, no person shall discharge sediment laden-water containing more than 75 mg/l of total suspended solids directly or indirectly into the stormwater drainage system.
• Security for ESC Authorizations shall be based on a unit rate per site area with a maximum value.

What this means

The new Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw means there will no longer be a need to have separate ESC permits when Servicing Agreements are required.  This is intended to streamline processes, reduce duplication of permits and harmonize securities under a Servicing Agreement.

Under the Bylaw, an ESC Plan, prepared by an ESC Professional, is required for sites with developable area of 0.4 ha or more, or with deep foundations such as underground parkades and more comprehensive facilities.  “Developable Area” means all parts of the lands, that are not encumbered by road dedications (Highways), dykes, designated steep slope, riparian, environmentally sensitive area, or tree protection zones that are otherwise protected and cannot be disturbed as part of the construction. In general, "tree protection zones" are larger areas of tree protection, rather than individual trees protected by tree protection fencing.

All sites with deep excavation such as parkades or other structures that require chemical or other treatment systems must obtain an ESC Authorization as part of the Servicing Agreement.

The most common situation for an ESC Permit will be the construction of buildings (under a building permit) on sites 0.4 ha or greater, including agricultural properties.  An ESC permit is not required for agricultural activities (i.e. farming) but are required for construction of buildings or roads, typically in association with a Soil Permit, or Building Permit.

Monitoring under ESC Authorizations will still be required through the Monitoring and Reporting Portal. Monitoring frequencies have been revised slightly and are provided in Schedule B of the Bylaw.

It is recommended that all professionals preparing plans for an ESC Authorization, Building Permit, or Soil Permits, review the Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw at: www.surrey.ca/ESC.  Additional resources and professional guidelines regarding erosion and sediment control have been prepared by Engineers and Geoscientists BC, and can be found on their website at: https://tools.egbc.ca/Registrants/Practice-Resources/Guidelines-Advisories.     

The City of Surrey is aiming to improve timelines to the Engineering Department land development process by implementing changes related to design review. These changes will allow us to continue to meet the needs of the City relative to infrastructure servicing, maintenance and operations. Effective June 3, 2024, the following changes are applicable to the Engineering Review Process:

• Project Scoping Drawing no longer required; Letter of Responsibility, Project Scoping Submission and Checklist are still required.
• On all Project Detailing Drawing (PD’s) submissions, consultants to identify design variances/exceptions in the Certification section on the drawings to expedite City review.
• Maximum of four (4) PD’s submissions for each development project.
• Front-ending Utility projects (e.g. Pump stations, detention ponds, etc.) are exempted.
• Maximum duration of three (3) week review period by City staff for all PD’s.