Does the WAWA permit cover the excavator's work in Fredericton?

The WAWA Permit and Your Excavator in Fredericton

The Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit is a provincial permit, issued under New Brunswick's watercourse and wetland alteration rules by the Department of Environment and Local Government. If your excavator is operating machinery, disturbing ground, depositing or removing fill, or clearing within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland on your property, that activity requires a WAWA permit before any of it begins.

The permit is typically granted to the landowner, not the contractor. If you want an agent, such as your excavator or a designer, to apply on your behalf, the province requires a landowner consent form to accompany the application. The fee is $25 for a single alteration. Once the permit is in hand, the excavator can carry out the work it authorizes, but the permit does not replace the City of Fredericton's building permit, and it does not replace any other approval your project may need.

A few things to keep straight before the machine arrives:

• The 30 metres is measured horizontally from the top of the bank in the field, not from a map. If you are unsure whether your dig falls inside that zone, measure on the ground.
• A wetland smaller than one hectare that is not connected to a watercourse is exempt from the 30 m wetland rule, but the 30 m watercourse rule still applies independently.
• The City of Fredericton's Engineering Division reviews lot grading as part of the building permit process, so your grading plan may need to be consistent with what the WAWA permit authorizes.
• No digging, clearing or machine work within the 30 m zone should start until the provincial permit is in hand.

For the excavation side of the job, the City of Fredericton requires a building permit before construction begins, and Regulation 2021-2 under the Building Code Administration Act requires at least one inspection on completion of the footings and foundations before any backfilling starts. Ask the City how to book that inspection so your contractor knows not to backfill until it is done.

If your lot is anywhere near a stream, lake, pond or wetland, contact the Department of Environment and Local Government first to confirm whether your project falls within the 30 m zone and what the permit covers, then go to the City of Fredericton to align your building permit with whatever the province has approved.