Increasing water rates are being clarified in Greater Vernon. While the base rate is climbing three per cent across the board, the consumption rate could rise even further based on how much water a household uses. A major change is for low water users. While they previously paid no consumption fee for anything under 20 cubic metres, there will now be a cost. “You are going from zero to a cost,” said Zee Marcolin, Regional District of North Okanagan utilities manager. “You are now paying for what you use instead of paying for 20 cubic metres and not using it.” Marcolin believes the change creates a more balanced system instead of low water users previously just paying the base rate. “They were subsidizing the cost for people who use more than 20 cubic metres,” she said. Marcolin says there is a cost for the utility to treat and provide water no matter how much a customer uses.
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| Quarterly Water Rate changes at Different consumption levels. |
Highlighted Changes in the Water Rates:(quarterly) RESIDENTIAL (see table for effects on residential customers at various levels of consumption.)
- Base Residential water rates will increase from $78.12 to $80.50 (3.04%)
- Consumption Rates -
- Tier A - 0-10 m3 from 0 cents to 50 cents. ($5 increase at 10m3 usage level)
- Tier B - 11-20m3 from 0 cents to 90 cents.($9 increase at 20m3 usage level)
- Tier C- 21-40m3 from 98 cents to $1 (2.04% increase -2 cents/m3)
- Tier D- 41-80m3 from $1.20 to $1.25 (4.16% increase -5 cents/m3)
- Tier E- over 80m3 from $1.74 cents to $1.80 (3.44% increase -6 cents/m3
3 comments:
"Marcolin believes the change creates a more balanced system instead of low water users previously just paying the base rate."
The fact that low water users bear a higher percentage increase belies that statement.
The reason water systems must be over-sized is due to the fact that maximum daily demands must be met and those demands are created by high users. The 25% of customers who use less than 25 m3 per quarter could be satisfied by a much smaller and much less expensive system.
The reason our water system is oversized is because we currently have HIGH water users like AGRICULTURE who have not been separated from our system yet.
By the way, an elected official calling out an RDNO staff member on a BLOG is certainly RICH, nevermind suggesting that you, Coldstreamer, know there is a way to deliver cheaper water to 25% of users, when in fact there isn't. Not today, not anytime.
Further, it also seems rather meaningless to compare % increases, and to calculate the "effective cost per m3 used", when the BASE RATE has been included in the calculations.
As Ms. Marcolin stated, there is a cost for the utility to treat and provide water, no matter how much a customer uses. That would be the BASE rate.
It's a different story altogether when you compare the percentage increases in the CONSUMPTION rates.
I could debate with you but what's the use? I know the facts and you guess at them. You said it: the problem is that domestic and agriculture water are not separated. Until that is done nobody knows what the actual costs of treatment and delivery of domestic water is.
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