Backfilling an old in-ground pool in Riverview, what material?

Filling an Old In-Ground Pool in Riverview

We found no New Brunswick rule on what material must go into an old pool, so ask the contractor what fill they propose, how it will be placed and compacted, and what happens to the pool shell, because the shell plan changes both the fill volume and the machine time.

A few things drive the cost on this job. Crushed stone runs roughly $40 to $75 per cubic metre and Granular A runs $35 to $55 per cubic metre, with delivery adding $75 to $200 per load, based on published price guides read in September 2026. The machine time to place and compact the fill is priced separately, with a standard excavator and operator running $150 to $250 per hour and a mini-excavator running $65 to $150 per hour. Haul-away of the pool shell, liner and any demolished concrete is a separate trucking cost that varies with distance to the disposal site. Few New Brunswick-specific prices are published, so machine hours and material volume are the most reliable anchors for comparing quotes.

On the permit side, Plan 360, the Southeast Regional Service Commission, issues building and development permits in Riverview, and a permit may be required to tap into water or sewer mains if any pool plumbing connects there. For the fill work itself, check with Plan 360 on whether a development or building permit applies to your specific job before work starts. If the pool is within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit from the province is required before any machine work or ground disturbance begins. That 30 metres is measured horizontally from the top of the bank on the ground, not from a map.

Before the excavator arrives, the contractor, as the employer on site, must confirm underground utility locations under WorkSafeNB's General Regulation 91-191. Info-Excavation, reached through Click Before You Dig, requires three working days' notice. NB Power runs its own separate underground locate service and asks for at least five business days' notice; that locate is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form and covers only NB Power-owned lines. Any private lines, including wiring that was run to the pool for lighting or pumps, are the owner's to find and mark before the machine moves.

Ask the contractor to show both locate tickets before work starts, confirm what is happening to the pool shell and how that affects the quote, and ask your insurer whether the fill work changes your coverage during construction. Under the Construction Remedies Act, you must retain a holdback of 10% of the contract price for 60 days after substantial performance.

The quote should spell out exactly what fill material is included, where the demolished shell is going, and how rock or unexpected debris will be priced if it turns up.