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The water-strapped town of Cochrane offers a strong example of how to control residential water use with pricing, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada.
The report, which looks at municipal water and waste-water systems across Canada, notes the town charges households that consume large amounts of water double the price that those using less pay per cubic metre.
“One might argue that the rates are low,” the report said of Cochrane, “but the overall pricing structure is a clear signal to consumers to avoid waste because the price increases significantly with increasing consumption.”
Rick Deans, the water/waste water manager for the town, said Cochrane has seen a 27 per cent reduction in per capita water use between 2004 and 2008.
“We thought that was pretty fair way of determining a rate structure,” Deans said the progressive water-pricing system.
“The people themselves choose whether they’re going to turn that tap on or water that lawn.”
The Conference Board also noted Cochrane requires all new homes and buildings to install low-flow taps and dual-flush toilets. The municipality also has the power to fine residents who water outside of designated hours during critical summer periods.
Across Canada, the report said there are a number of problems that need to be fixed. For instance, it said a strong universal metering system should be implemented immediately.
“An encouraging shift toward volumetric pricing has emerged. However, the prices charged don’t often fully recover the direct cost of providing service, and only rarely include any provision for the cost of ecosystem protection.”
Calgary is also noted in the report, with a mention that the city is well on its way to bringing metering to 100 per cent of homes by 2014. That will then put Calgary’s system in step with cities such as Edmonton, Ottawa, Victoria and Moose Jaw.
Wolf Keller, the city’s director of water resources, said the city has yet to install water-metering devices in approximately 50,000 homes.
But already, Keller said, the city has managed to avoid taking more water out of the Bow and Elbow rivers, even as the population spikes. That goes toward Calgary’s “30-in-30 target” of accommodating 30 per cent population growth between 2003 and 2033 without increasing water demand.
“Metering is one of the biggest ways that we save water,” Keller said Wednesday.
The report also said Calgary has made particular progress in reducing water main breaks, reducing the annual number to 300 from the 700-800 that occurred annually a decade ago. That’s key given as much as 20 per cent of the water entering Calgary’s system is lost somewhere along the line, before it reaches a consumer.
The Conference Board of Canada is an Ottawa-based, independent, not-for-profit research organization.