Updated Dec 19, 2:15pm
Clients served by the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) North and South Pender water systems are to receive a mock volumetric billing along with their regular water rate invoice next spring.
What users on the South Pender system will be asked to pay next year will be, as it has been in the past, a flat annual usage rate that rose to $925 for 2025. That rate will be $1,000 for those on the North Pender system. The mock bills will show users what they would have paid for the water they used, as calculated by their meter using a base rate billing method. It is anticipated that the switch to volumetric billing for the Pender in 2026 and other SCRD water services in 2027.
At the Dec. 12 committee of the whole meeting, elected officials supported staff’s proposal to use a base rate methodology. That will have a fixed charge for the first 500 litres per connection per day of water use and additional per litre charges for volumes over that amount. Volumetric water bills are to be issued twice a year.
Why use the base rate method?
In their report on the meeting agenda, staff explained that although the base rate “requires more effort to configure appropriately” it was preferred over a fixed rate system where each litre of water is charged for at a given rate.
Staff stated over 50 per cent of water users use less than 500 litres per day when their use is calculated over a year and less than five per cent of users average daily water use is over 2,500 litres.
According to the report, “the highest volume user under the Fixed Rate method will pay approximately $4,500 for their User Fees. The Base Rate method sees that value increase to more than $6,500. This represents a more than 700% increase over the fee this user would be charged using the 2024 water rates."
That higher level charge to those placing the highest demands on the water system was in keeping with the board’s direction on how regional water should be billed. Staff estimated that more than 50 per cent of users on the two systems would see a less than $50 annual cost increase on their mock bill with base rate volumetric billing. With that information, staff said users could then take actions to conserve water to keep their costs down once volumetric billing is fully implemented.
Metering won’t stop water cost increases
Sechelt area director Darren Inkster expressed concerns that the introduction of meters and volumetric bill will be blamed for escalating water user fees. Acting chief administrative officer Tina Perreault noted that water clients need to keep in mind that the costs of operating the water system increase every year. Things like supplies, hydro and staffing costs rise and those operating costs must be covered by those that benefit from the system.
“I think everyone knows the cost of living is getting larger for most of us…I am concerned about the costs we are asking people to bear. We need to adjust to make the provision of service more affordable,” was Inkster’s comment.
Water parcel charges to continue
As for paying for water system capital costs, the volumetric billing will not eliminate the annual property parcel tax for water service. In 2025, that will be set at $530 in North Pender and $600 in the South.
When committee chair/Area E director Donna McMahon stated she was interested in seeing what the mock volumetric bills would look like, Pender Harbour/Egmont director Leonard Lee stated he would be happy to share his billing with his committee colleagues as an example.
An earlier version stated it was anticipated all SCRD regional water services were to go to volumetric bill in 2026, but only Pender systems are forecast to change in 2026, with others to potentially transition in 2027.
