Accelerated city-wide water metering

After your meter is installed, your property will move from a flat-rate utility fee to metered bills based on water use. Your utility meter bills will:

• Come as separate bills
• No longer be part of your property tax notice

A prorated credit on your tax bill for the flat-rate fee already paid will be reflected on next year’s main tax notice. Learn how to understand your utility meter bill

With water meters you pay for what you use and become more aware of your water usage. Your utility bill will depend on how efficiently you use water including watering your lawns and gardens.

Some customers have found that their bills go down along with their water consumption. Landlords should make sure that all tenants know about the change and check to make sure all plumbing fixtures are free of leaks. Learn how water rates are calculated and billed

Once installed, water leaks will be registered by your water meter. This can result in costly utility bills.

Check for leaks

In advance of the meter being installed, we recommend you check your house for leaks, which can commonly be found in places such as toilets, irrigation systems, hot water tanks, and more. 

If you’re a homeowner enrolled in the provincial Property Tax Deferment Program External website, opens in new tab, you will no longer be able to defer your utility bill once your property moves to metered billing because it is no longer billed as part of your property taxes.

Failure to pay your metered bill may result in the unpaid portion being transferred to your property tax account, which will impact your eligibility for the provincial Property Tax Deferment Program if your taxes fall into arrears.

If you have already paid your annual property tax notice, a prorated credit for the flat-rate utility fee will appear on next year’s tax notice.

You can't choose to defer or not have a water meter installed. All homes will eventually be switched to metered billing.

This program falls under By-Law No.4848 Section 6.4 PDF file (402 KB) and is essential for billing. Any personal information collected for the purpose of account setup and meter billing is authorized by Sections 26(c) and 26(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Information icon Meters are installed on a predetermined schedule and installation dates can't be moved forward or backward.

There is minimal disruption when the installation is on City property. The water is shut off for a few hours on the day of the installation. Before your water service is shut off, you will receive an additional notice.

The water meter will be installed on or near the property line. It will be placed in a small underground chamber and covered by a ground level lid that measures 45 centimetres x 30 centimetres.

Note Meters are typically installed on City property in accordance with our Waterworks By-law No.4848, Section 6.4.

In some cases (retaining walls, sidewalks, tree roots, other obstructions) it will be impossible to install a meter on City property. Instead, a meter will be installed on private property according to By-law No.4848 PDF file (394 KB), Section 2.14. For these special cases, you will receive additional notification. 

The process, from digging the hole to restoring the landscape, is generally completed within a week.

There is no cost to you for the meter or the installation, and you are not required to be home during the process.

Some residents install sprinkler systems and other encroachments such as fence or retaining walls on the City boulevards adjacent to their properties. We do not:

• Approve of these encroachments on City property
• Issue permits or record the locations of these obstructions

Note You will need to remove any obstruction placed on City boulevard before your meter installation. During a meter installation, damage may occur to these items if they are not removed before installation. We do not accept any liability for costs to repair items that have been installed on City boulevards. 

Removing encroachments on City property

To help crews install water meters on City property, make sure that any encroachment on City property are removed before the installation. 

Common examples of encroachments can include fences, retaining walls, gardens or planter boxes, plants, private sprinkler systems and other buried or above-ground structures. 

This requirement is mandated under Encroachment By-law No. 4243 PDF file (190 KB). Failure to comply may result in our crews removing the encroachments under Section 7 of the by-law.

Our regional drinking water supply is under pressure from climate change and a growing population:

• Metro Vancouver is experiencing longer periods without the rain and snow melt needed to replenish our water reservoirs.
• Many municipalities across the Lower Mainland and Canada use water meters as a core strategy to conserve drinking water.

Information about water usage

Water meters give information about water usage. When people are aware of their water use, they will often reduce their overall water consumption to help conserve drinking water supply and save money. 

Reducing water usage

Water meters allow staff to more quickly detect water-wasting leaks and alert residents. A leaky faucet that drips at 10 drips each minute will waste more than 1,800 litres of water each year, that’s enough to wash 60 loads of dishes in the dishwasher.

City staff have seen worst case scenarios with leaky toilets wasting up to 7,000 liters of water each day. That’s roughly 1,750 times the recommended daily water intake for most adults.

Paying for the water you use

Water meters provide for a more fair billing structure as you only pay for the water you use.

Water meters measure all indoor and outdoor water use from treated water piped into your home or business. This water is used in activities such as:

• Drinking tap water
• Showering
• Washing dishes
• Washing clothes
• Flushing toilets
• Watering lawns 

Water meters record total water usage. The water meter only records your water consumption. It does not tell us if you’re home or out and can’t tell us which appliances you’re using. What we see is your transmitter serial number and the total water use. 

Your water meter is connected to a transmitter, which takes consumption information and sends (transmits) it to a drive-by reading device or base stations installed across the city. This information is then used for:

• Billing to detect maintenance issues
• Water conservation planning

• Finding your water meter
• Water meter service calls
• Water meter maintenance
• Removing a water meter during construction