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Vancouver
City is expanding the water meter requirement to single
family and duplex home connections.
Currently all other water consumers, including industrial,
institutional, commercial and multi-family residential
customers are metered.
Expanding the metering requirement to new water services for
single family and duplex homes is the first step in
achieving a fully metered system over the long term.
Aside from the benefit of billing equity (i.e., paying only
for what you use), metering is the foundation step in
extending the life of our current water resources by
deferring the costs and environmental impacts of raising the
dams on our reservoirs or having to develop another drinking
water source.
Other benefits of metering single family and duplex water
connections include:
■ Achieving up to 20% reduction in water use through changes
in consumer behaviour and help in identifying system leaks,
such as broken, damages, crushed and leaking sewer lines,
and damages to drain tiles.
■Results in savings for those who consume wisely
■ Reduces the stress on the City and region’s systems by
reducing peak summer demand for water and, at the other end,
reduces stress on our sanitary sewer system
■Providing personalized consumption information to customers
on their bill
■Overall consumption information would help the City
identify areas for targeted water conservation programs
■Collecting system data that aids in planning future system
investments
Water meters
help people to become more aware about their water use. When
people are charged for their actual measured use, they tend not
to waste water, and they reduce their overall water consumption.
Metering immediately rewards customers who use water efficiently
and provides a price signal for those who don’t. Another benefit
to water meters is that they help identify leaks. Leaks can
constitute a significant portion of a city’s water consumption –
a leaky or self-flushing toilet can waste 750 litres of drinking
water per day according to the EPA. That is equivalent to
wasting over $270 per year. Eliminating leaks benefits everyone,
including your wallet!
If you suspect
you are using a lot more water than usual, you could have a
leaking, crushed, broken or clogged and damaged water line or
drain tiles. Call us at 640-739-2000 (or fill out a
request online)
to discuss a solution to your water line or drain tiles.
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