Q: What is universal metering?

A: Universal metering is where each residential, industrial, commercial and institutional property have meters installed to measure the volume of water used on a daily, monthly, and annual basis.

Q:  How are meters read?

A:  Meters will be read by Town staff by touching a hand-held meter reader to a special pad built into the lid of each meter box. The metered information will be automatically downloaded into the meter reader... It is likely that Town staff will take meter readings on a quarterly basis.

Q:  Why do we need water meters now?

A:  Meters are being installed now as part of a major infrastructure upgrade in the Town of Gibsons.  The upgrade is needed to complete the installation of cross connection control to protect the Towns’ water supply system and upgrade it to current Provincial standards.  Part of the project will include the installation of water meters on private properties which will assist the Town in identifying how much water is actually being consumed and how much is being lost through leaking pipes..  The new user-pay system will also financially reward conservation by residents and businesses through lower rates.

“Canadian residential water users who pay a flat or fixed rate - a static fee independent of water use- used an average of 474 litres/person/day in 2001, which was 74% more water than Canadians who were charged a volume-based rate. When used with an effective pricing system, water metering is an effective incentive to reduce water consumption, and as the use of water metering has increased in Canada, water use has decreased.  From 1999 to 2001, residential average daily water consumption decreased from 343 litres/person to 335 litres/person, the second lowest rate since 1991.”*

Q:  If it’s a safety thing – are you saying the water supply is not currently safe?

A:  Gibsons is proud of having the best water in the world and is committed to ensure the continued safe supply of this water. Vancouver Coastal Health requires that municipal water suppliers test their water on a bi-weekly basis. Town staff take samples and forward them to an independent laboratory for testing. The test results are reported to the Town and to Vancouver Coastal Health. In 2004 the Town developed an exhaustive Cross Connection Control procedure, including revising bylaws to ensure that the procedures can be enforced. The first types of connections that were addressed by the Town were the high to moderate risk Industrial, Commercial and Institutional connections. The average residential connection is considered lower risk and is the last type of connection in the Town to be addressed.

Q: How much will this cost the Town?

The Town is investing 1.4$-Million on this project making it one of the single largest infrastructure projects in the region in the past ten years. As part of a costs-sharing initiative, the Province is contributing $460,000 towards the project.

Q: How much will this cost the individual user?

A: Annual residential water rates are anticipated to go up $75 in 2009 ($6.25 per month) over current 2008 rates, bringing the total annual water bill for a household user of the Town of Gibsons water system to $370. This rate is equivalent to the rate currently paid by users outside of the Town of Gibsons and supplied by the Sunshine Coast Regional District system. Beginning in 2011, household water fees will be charged on a user pay system. Prices per household will be based on a median rate of $370 per household per year, meaning those who use less will pay less.

Q:  Why will all people pay more regardless of what their usage is in the first year?

A:  Funds generated through water rates are to be self-liquidating which means that the funds brought in through charging for water must be spent only on water infrastructure; the Town cannot show a profit from these funds.  Rates prior to 2010 were not adequate to achieve this and have been adjusted accordingly.  Proposed rates will match the residential rates charged by the Sunshine Coast Regional District.  In future years, rates will be adjusted to accommodate those users who conserve their water.  In 2010 the rate also takes into consideration the capital expenditure on the infrastructure upgrade.

Q: Why does the Town not give out low-flow toilets for free to curb water usage as the SCRD does?

A:  Gibsons Council felt that the cost-benefit of installing meters was better than the option of providing low-flush toilets. The cost of low-flush toilets is not ‘free’ to the public as the costs are ultimately passed on to the tax payer.  Low flush toilets also would not take care of the main issue of protecting the water supply system in the Town of Gibsons.

Q: How much might my bill cost in the future?

A: Beginning in 2011, water will be paid on a user-pay system; those who use more will pay more, those who find ways to conserve will pay less. The rate per cubic metre will be set based on over-all usage in the first year (2010) with a median price set at $370 per average household.

Q: If the province is asking for measures to be taken – why does the province not pay for the entire project?

A: It is the Town’s responsibility to ensure that their water supply meets all health requirements. Chlorination was an option to meet these standards but Council opted to preserve the purity of our water by installing cross connection control instead.  The total cost of the project also includes the supply and installation of meters, which is not a provincial requirement.

Q: Why is Gibsons requiring older homes to install meters rather than having meters installed only on new construction?

A:  To ensure the highest level of conservation the Town must meter all properties.  Meters will also provide the Town with information on leaking services and Town-owned pipes, which will be more significant issues for older homes and water systems.

Q:  Is this being done in other places around BC?

A: Water metering enables utilities to measure the amount of water used by customers.  It is essential for implementing volume-based water charges, and its use is increasing in Canada.  The percentage of metered households served by municipal water systems increased only slightly during the 1990s, from 52% in 1991 to 56% in 1999, but jumped to 61% in 2001.*

Q:  Why are all meters being installed now rather than taking a phased approach?

A:  This is the most cost effective way to upgrade the system, it will ensure that the Town’s system will be protected through cross control, and will enable the Town to set rates that are reflective of usage sooner than if a phased approach is taken.

Q:  How will these changes impact me if I currently have a meter installed?

A: There will be little impact to properties which currently have meters installed, other than the change in billing rates, methods and frequency.

Q: What can people do to save money when on a meter?

A:  click here for conservation tips www.gibsons.ca/gibsonswater/waterconservationtips.html

Q:  What happens if I have a water leak on my property – will I be charged for the water that leaks into the ground?

A:  The Town will have a grace period for owners for leaks discovered as a result of the meter installation program and will allow a yet-to-be-determined length of time for the owner to complete the repairs. Leaks discovered in subsequent years will have a set period of time to repair the leak. The procedure for addressing billing adjustments in these instances is yet to be established by the Town.

Q:  Based on the average usage numbers you know, what will be my annual water bill?

A:  It is difficult to come up with a definitive answer for this question as individual water bills will be based entirely on water usage.  A larger family with a pool, irrigation system and a hot tub will use more water than a single person without any additional water demands.  However, the proposed rate of $370 is anticipated to be reflected of a usage at the median level.

Q:  How are water rates established?

A:  “Water is the most capital-intensive of all utilities, yet in Canada water treatment and distribution are under-priced, and water infrastructure is under-funded.  The price of water in Canada is one of lowest in the developed world, and per-capita consumption levels are one of the highest in the world, second only to the United States.”*  Water rates will be set to recover the total cost of providing water services including all capital and operating costs and the costs of replacing and upgrading infrastructure.

Q:  Will the Town profit financially from universal metering?

A:  Funds generated through water rates are to be self-liquidating which means that the funds brought in through charging for water must be spent only on water infrastructure; the Town cannot show a profit from these funds.

Q:  Will the money collected by the Town result in reduced taxes?

A:  Water rates collected will be used to maintain and service the supply system and Town aquifer. The funds collected will be used solely for capital, operating and maintenance costs for the Town’s water system.  Rates set at the appropriate level to achieve this will ensure that these costs do not need to be recovered through municipal taxes.

Q:  Won’t metering water be an invasion of people’s privacy?

A:  Very little access to private property will be required in monitoring the meters. Similar to other utilities such as gas companies and BC Hydro, meter monitoring will simply require a staff member to come onto the property, read the exterior-located meter and exit.  Staff do not need access inside the property or direct contact with the homeowner with the exception of isolated incidents where it is necessary to install the meter indoors.

Q:  Will water still be free for consumption at Well #1

A: Water is currently free for use at Well #1 and can be taken by anyone in any amount. The Town is assessing this, and looking to add a dispensing fee with the cost of use based on the amount of water consumed.

Q:  Why can't strata units have a meter installed for each unit?

A: Strata properties will have a single meter installed for each legal strata lot and will not have individual meters installed for each unit.

Water systems within strata developments are not always constructed in such a manner to allow easy installation of water meters. For example, some water systems are actually split to each unit within the building(s) underneath the concrete floor. Other multi-unit buildings may split within the framed walls, which would necessitate indoor meters for each unit. Still others share one main water pipe for bathrooms, a second for laundries, a third for kitchens, and so on. This would quickly degenerate into many different methods of unique and invasive meter installations.

The proposed meter location provides a clear definition as to where Town responsibilities end and private property owners' begin. Installing individual meters within a strata development would mean that a Town-owned meter and backflow preventer would be installed on a private system, with privately owned pipes on both sides of the meter and backflow assembly. This would lead to really unclear lines of responsibility and liability if any portion of the private system failed . The meter can also be read by Town staff from Town property, without the need to access through private property.

It would be up to each strata to decide how to best apportion the new water bills - equally amongst each unit, allocation according to family size or unit size, installation of privately-owned strata meters or some other method.*The Importance of Water Metering and Its Uses in Canada - Visit Website*