Town water rates set to jump

Town residents will find their next utility bill will be considerably larger after town council voted to approve a substantial increase in water rates.

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, the minimum bi-monthly charge for water, covering up to 6,000 imperial gallons, will be $63. This is a 65.8 per cent increase over the old rate of $38.

Mayor Brian Schulz said the increase is necessary to cover the costs involved with the Barrhead Regional Water Commission and maintaining the town’s supply of high quality water.

However, Schulz admits the increase may be painful for some people.

“We’d all like to see all the costs remain the same,” he said. “But unfortunately costs do go up and we are trying to bring the cost increases in a way that will be the least painful where we can.”

One of the ways the town is trying to make the rate hike less substantial is by reducing the sewer rate to 40 per cent of the water rate, instead of the 50 per cent it was prior to the change. What this means is the minimum sewer rate is now $25.20, less than the $31.50 it would have been had the percentage remained the same.

For water consumption in excess of the minimum 6,000 gallons every two months, the town has increased those rates by at least 30 per cent.

If a residence or business uses between 6,001 and 14,000 gallons, the cost levied on that utility account will be $6.70 per 1,000 gallons. This is an increase from the previous rate of $5.15.

For between 14,001 and 280,000 gallons, the new rate will be $6 per 1,000 gallons, up from $4.60.

Finally, for water consumption of 280,001 gallons or more, the rate charged will be $5 per 1,000 gallons, an increase from the previous rate of $3.80.

In addition to the increase in the water and sewer rates, the town has also approved a jump in its garbage rates. For residential accounts, the new bi-monthly garbage rate is $18.50, which is a 14.1 per cent increase over last year’s rate of $16.20 bi-monthly.

Commercial accounts will see their garbage rate climb to $100 per hour, a 9.9 per cent increase.

With all these increases taken into account, a typical family dwelling that uses no more than 6,000 gallons in a two-month period will see its utility bill climb by 45.8 per cent to $106.70 up from $73.20.

Although the increase in the water rate itself is substantial in actual dollars, Schulz said it’s the equivalent of $12.50 per month, and “it shouldn’t put undue pressure on any one person.”

In addition, he said it’s a small price to pay to maintain Barrhead’s high quality water supply, and water will still remain affordable.

“Water is still a good deal compared to other things in our society,” he said.

However, he cautioned that further increases are on the way, as the town plans to increase the water rate over the next few years to double what it was in 2011, to cover the $12-million cost of building and maintaining a new water treatment plant.

“Because of government regulations, we have to make changes to our water treatment plant,” he said. “We wanted to bring (the rates) up gradually until all the bills are taken care of,” he said.

On the flip side, Schulz said the utility rates increase can serve as a chance for residents and businesses to change their water use habits and become more efficient. As an example, he said people could put more dishes into their dishwasher before turning it on, and thus running fewer loads over time.

The town recently sent out a flyer outlining the coming changes and the reason behind them. If there are any questions about specific circumstances not covered in the flyer, contact the town office at 780-674-3301.