Township council is planning to hire a consultant to identify financial impacts and set rates for a proposed water metering system in Mapleton.
At its Oct. 23 meeting, council directed staff to prepare a request for proposals to prepare a report for the potential metering of Drayton and Moorefield.
In a report to council, public works director Larry Lynch noted that over the past several years there has been “considerable discussion and research regarding the merits of a water meter program for both Drayton and Moorefield.”
Lynch pointed out in his written report that under the existing flat rate system, heavy water users pay less, while light users pay more.
In a metered system, users pay based on individual consumption.
In a flat rate system, “if one user continuously waters their lawn in the summer months, washes the car or cars on a regular basis or has leaking taps or plumbing in their house or business, the entire community pays a portion of that cost,” the report states.
Lynch said the advantage of a meter-based system is that water consumption inevitably drops.
“This is a significant environmental advantage, as it helps preserve our water supply. While research suggests our municipality sits on a large and healthy water aquifer, it is incumbent on us as stewards of the municipality to be proactive in our preservation of such an important resource.”
The negative side of metering, Lynch noted, is the cost of such items as installation, public education, meter reading, administration and maintenance.
Costs to install a metering system were included in the 2012 capital budget, with a provincial grant of $417,178 expected to cover much of the projected cost of $625,768.
While an RPF is prepared and ready to go on the installation, Lynch advised council that a financial model to assess costs “in order to set a rate for a metering scenario” is still needed.
Lynch feels council needs that information in order to make a final decision on metering.
“If a primary goal is to reduce consumption that will happen with meters. Conversely, a drop in water usage will reduce rates that are currently paying for supply and operation of our water system. Somehow, the rate and the operational cost must balance and would be predicted by a third party report and review,” the report concludes.
