More than 1,000 new water meters are being installed in the Strathcona area to help reduce consumption and potentially costs for households.
The plan is to begin installing meters next year and get the job completed as quickly as possible, Wolfgang Parada, senior manager of engineering with the Strathcona Regional District, said Wednesday.
The region’s Area D has 1,260 water connections, he said. Some meters have been installed in the past few years but 1,230 households don’t have them yet. The devices are read via radio.
Water is supplied via the city of Campbell River and comes from the John Hart reservoir.
Area D is just under 1,850 square kilometres, running from Jubilee Parkway to the Oyster River and east into Strathcona Provincial Park.
Currently, customers without meters pay a flat annual rate of $1,129 for residential users.
For customers with meters, the residential rate is set at $1.91 per cubic metre of water used, with a minimum charge of $588 per year.
What those receiving meters ultimately pay depends on how much water they use, but some might see bills that are hundreds of dollars lower than the flat rate, Parada said.
The province is footing the $2.8-million bill to buy and install the meters.
Meters will help the regional district to detect potential leaks more effectively and target education campaigns for areas of concern, said Mark Baker, board chair for Strathcona Regional District.
It’s crucial to meter water use, not only for accurately distributing delivery costs, but for monitoring use, Baker said.
