Accelerated city-wide water metering

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.

Meter installation on City property

There is minimal disruption when the installation is on City property. The water is shut off for about an hour 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.

Meters installed on private property

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.

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. 

All homes are required to have a water meter

You cannot 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 PDF file (394 KB) Section 6.4 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.

Note Meters are installed on a predetermined schedule and installation dates cannot be moved forward or backward.

At the completion of the meter install, your property will be switched from a flat-rate utility fee to metered utility bills based on your water consumption. 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

Water usage and its affect on your utility 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

Tax deferment eligibility

With metered utility bills, it will impact the amount you are eligible for tax deferment. Your utility bill will not be deferable by the Land Tax Deferment Act {RSBC 1996}.

In the Act, Chapter 249 defines tax as: “TAX means tax levied by a municipality or a Crown on eligible property, but does not include tax arrears, penalties, delinquent tax, utility user fees, or interest on any of them”. For this reason, the City utility portion does not qualify under the tax deferment program.

Customer will no longer be able to defer their utility fees. Customers that have deferred the utility fee in the past benefitted by paying the utility fee with the property tax and this was an unintended consequence of the billing structure.

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 more fair billing 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 that collects this data every 2 months. 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
• Water meters in laneway homes