Five thousand litres. It sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?
But you’d likely be surprised if you tried to limit your water consumption to less than that over the course of two months.
Five thousand litres — or five cubic metres — is the new magic threshold within the Town of Athabasca water rate system. It can be yours for the low, low price of just $16.10 (plus 25 per cent sewer charge). After that, additional charges apply.
So just how much is 5,000 litres?
The average bathtub (assuming someone is in it) holds about 150 litres. So based on the town’s current two-month utility billing cycle, you could have a bath every two days and still have about 500 litres left for other uses. For example, flushing the toilet once a day would use about 360 litres over two months, which leaves you just over two litres a day for things like drinking, cooking and laundry.
Five thousand litres suddenly doesn’t sound like so much, does it?
Granted, with the rejigging of both the water and sewer rates, you could actually use up to about 10,200 litres every two months and still come away with a smaller bill than you had before. Use over that amount, however, and watch your bill skyrocket.
Town council claims that the new rates are meant to encourage conservation, which they very well might do. However, the reality is that those most likely to benefit are those who already use the least water: seniors on fixed incomes, who coincidentally can least afford to pay more for water.
The new rates are a positive step in that they help those who can least afford a water rate increase, and they should inspire others to look at ways to reduce their consumption.
But the fact is that for an average family, getting under the 10,200 litre threshold, much less the 5,000 litre level, will be extremely difficult, and therefore their water bill will go up.
But that was the point, wasn’t it? A new water plant that meets all the environmental criteria has to be paid for somehow.
