SOUTH HURON - Residential customers of South Huron's water and wastewater system can expect an average $30 increase to their annual bill in 2012.
 
The bylaw allowing for the increase was expected to be presented to South Huron council Monday night after the Times-Advocate went to press.

While there will be no increase to the water side of South Huron customers' bill, the consumption portion of their wastewater bill will see an increase from 85 cents per cubic metre to $1 per cubic metre.

The matter was discussed at council's Jan. 9 meeting, with Andrew Grunda of Watson and Associates, presenting his “Water and Wastewater Rate Study” for the municipality.

South Huron environmental services director Don Giberson told the T-A last week that Grunda's study was a review and update of the 2008 study that resulted in the current water/wastewater rate structure.

“In 2008,” Giberson said, “there was no stone unturned. Everything was reviewed and what came out the other end was not only new rates but a new rate structure.”
Grunda's latest report reviews the 2008 report to see if the municipality is on the right track.

As a result, there are no changes to any of the water charges and the forecast shows the same rates continuing until 2020. Customers pay a quarterly base charge, a quarterly debt charge and a consumption rate.

As stated above, what will increase from 85 cents per cubic metre to $1 per cubic metre is the wastewater consumption charge. The new rate becomes effective the first quarter of this year.

That rate will increase every year until reaching $1.96 per cubic metre in 2020, although the bulk of those increases will take place over the next few years, after which the increases will be slight.

There are no increases for the quarterly base charge for wastewater.

Giberson said the wastewater consumption charge increases are recommendations made in the 2008 report, so the latest report just reaffirms those numbers.

According to Grunda's report, the average residential water/wastewater customer in Exeter pays $913 annually in water charges and $242 annually in wastewater charges for a total of $1,155. Once the new wastewater rates are implemented, the average annual wastewater charge will increase to $271, resulting in an average annual water/wastewater bill of $1,184.

In the Stephen ward, the average residential customer pays $596 annually for water and $242 for wastewater for a total annual bill of $839. When the new wastewater fees are implemented, the average user will see their annual wastewater bill increase to $271, for a total annual water/wastewater charge of $867.

The bylaw for the new rates was on the agenda for Monday night's council meeting.
Council is also to deal with the issue of land lease properties and where they should be placed in the municipality's water/wastewater rate structure.