Water Metering FAQ

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Water Metering FAQ

• Why is the District installing water meters?

  Water metering is one of the primary recommendations of the 2015 Water Master Plan to address water supply and consumption concerns in preparation for future growth. In considering water meter implementation, the District assessed:

  • Customer equity – installation of meters will allow the District to work towards this by billing the community’s largest industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) water users for actual water consumption;
  • Water conservation – water meters paired with a new water rate structure will support the sustainability of the District’s water source, deferred capital upgrades, reduced load on wastewater facilities, and energy savings;
  • Water system management – water meters will allow the District to identify leakage areas, high consumption users, and assist with system planning through accurate water measurement and performance monitoring.

• Which types of properties will receive water meters as part of the water meter implementation program?

  ICI properties, as well as multi-family properties which consist of townhomes and apartments, will receive water meters as part of the water meter implementation program.

• What does ICI refer to?

  ICI refers to properties that are classified as industrial, commercial, or institutional in nature.

• Why are single-family homes not being metered?

  Single-family homes account for 90 percent of water service connections in Squamish (representing an estimated 60 percent of total water consumption), making the cost of universal metering (i.e., metering all properties) significantly higher than for other options. Universal metering would require more than 4,100 meters to be installed at an estimated cost of $9.5 million. The return on this investment is not expected to deliver the necessary savings to the District through deferred capital costs ($2-3 million) to warrant the expenditure.

  Covering the cost of a universal metering program would likely mean significant rate increases to properties through Utilities fees – in the range of a 20 percent increase over five years.

  The Water Master Plan recommended implementation of universal metering as a long-term goal for the District.  The District will re-evaluate universal metering in the future.

   

• How many water meters are being installed?

  The District has completed the first phase of water meter installation, with detailed design and installation of 50 meters completed primarily through provincial and federal grant funding. This number is less than the 160 meters originally anticipated to be installed, which was a preliminary estimate assuming all of the meters to be installed were going to be small, inexpensive meters. However, during the project planning phase, it was decided to meter a number of properties with larger diameter water services in this initial phase.  As these larger meters are more expensive and often require costly concrete chambers, the number of meters installed as part of the first phase of work was less than originally anticipated.

  An additional 50 water meters will be installed in February 2024. Affected properties will be notified directly to book an installation time at the property owner's convenience. 

• What is the timeline?

  All water meter installation properties will be complete by the end of 2024.

• Why did the District choose to include multi-family buildings in the metering program when they are generally lower users of water (i.e., no lawns to water, individual gardens to tend to, or the ability to wash cars etc.)?

  All newly constructed multi-family buildings in Squamish are required to install water meters. Adding existing multi-family buildings to the ICI implementation was not a significant cost difference, and so they are being included in the metering program to achieve equity with the newly constructed multi-family buildings.

  While a perfect scenario would be to implement metering for everyone including single-family homes, it is too cost-prohibitive to do so as single-family homes account for 90 percent of all meters, and would require 4,100 meters to be installed.

  Although ICI and multifamily properties together account for only 10 percent of service connections (and therefore meters), this combined group represents an estimated 40 percent of total water consumption. 

• Will multi-family properties receive one meter or a meter for every residential unit?

  Multi-family properties will receive one meter per building. A building will share one meter, regardless of whether there are two units within the building, or 22 units. The following is a list of considerations the District has taken into account in choosing this approach:

  • The water system within the strata is owned and maintained by the strata.
  • Common water use (irrigation systems, common laundry, etc.) within the strata, which would require separate meters.
  • Unaccounted water use such as leakage of pipes and unauthorized water use such as connections made after meter installation are beyond the control of the District.
  • Installation of water meters within an existing premise often involves removal of partitions and ceilings, which can be costly.
  • The District considers that water usage between different units within a strata is more uniform than between single-family properties of different size, thus removing some of the incentive to provide a meter for each unit (i.e., family sizes may be different, but strata units typically share similar physical characteristics such as balconies or small grassy areas versus single-family homes that can vary significantly in physical characteristics).
  • The cost of installing one meter at the property line is often less expensive than metering each individual unit.
  • Access to inspect and maintain meters within individual units can be very challenging for District Public Works staff.

• How will residents of multi-family buildings be billed for water usage?

  It is likely that the Strata would receive one bill from the District and would be required to collect the fees from the residents through Strata fees. Each Strata can decide how to apportion costs. Typically, costs are allocated based on the floor area (square footage) of each unit.

• Are new single-family homes required to install meters?

  Not at this time. New single-family homes are required to install water meter boxes only, to facilitate future meter installation in the event that the District moves to universal metering in the years to come.  As noted above, the Water Master Plan recommended implementation of universal metering as a long-term goal for the District. The District will re-evaluate universal metering in the future.

• Will there be a voluntary option for single-family homes to install meters?

  Not at this time, but it has been identified as a recommendation in the 2015 Water Master Plan. This is something that may be considered for implementation in the future.

• With water metering, could residents of multi-family buildings end up paying more (on meters) than residents of single-family homes who aren’t metered?

  Prior to implementing metered billing, there will be a period of time during which data collected from installed meters will be collected and analyzed.  A water rate structure analysis will be completed and will include a comparison to existing flat rates in order to ensure that future billing will be fair and consistent across all property types. Public engagement opportunities will be provided during the water rate re-structuring to gather public input into the process. A period of ‘shadow billing’ will also take place allowing customers to see what their new fees will be under the new structure, and provide an opportunity to adjust water consumption prior to the new rate structure being implemented.

• How will single family homes be billed for water use moving forward?

  Single family homes will continue to be billed for water via a flat fee. A rate study will be undertaken to update the way multi family properties with water meters are billed for water consumption.

• How will the District fund this?

  A significant portion of the funding for the first phase of the project was generously provided by a provincial and federal grant.

  Completing the water meter installations is anticipated to be covered by current water utility rates, however the District will continue to pursue grant funding opportunities as they come available.

• Will there be any cost to the properties for water meter installation?

  There is no direct cost to the ICI or multi-family property for the installation. The Water Utility will help cover the installation costs, which is funded by all water customers in Squamish through annual Water Utility rates.

• Will someone from the District be contacting ICI and multi-family properties selected for metering?

  ISL Engineering Services will be the consultant for the remainder of this project (through 2024).

• Will there be future public input opportunities on this topic?

  Water rate structure analysis is currently underway and will be ongoing through 2024.

  Stay in touch with the District through our social media channels, website, email newsletter or newspaper advertisements. Visit Squamish.ca/engage for links.