Also the "source of life", the price of drinking water varies in different parts of Metro Vancouver.
According to a recent water use report for Metro Vancouver, water use and water rates varied between municipalities in the region between 2000 and 2021 – for example, a cup of drinking water in Surrey was more than twice as much as Port Coquitlam.
The wholesale price is the same
Metro Vancouver wholesales drinking water to its 18 municipalities at the same price. In 2021, Metro Vancouver charged the city a wholesale price of 71 cents per cubic metre during the off-peak period from October to May and 95 cents per cubic metre during the peak period from June to September.
On average, residents of Metro Vancouver use about 270 litres of water per day, which is roughly equivalent to the capacity of a standard bathtub. If charged at wholesale prices, this means that a family of four will pay $311 a year for water.
However, the actual amount paid depends on the municipality where they live, the factors that affect the cost of supplying water to each household and business, and whether their water is metered.
Most municipalities charge a flat fee or pay-as-you-go fee for metered use, which tends to be voluntary or mandatory, often associated with new or multifamily connections.
The cities of Surrey and Vancouver have the most expensive water
In 2021, the City of Surrey, with its vast infrastructure, had the highest fixed water tariff of $981 per household per year, followed by the City of Vancouver, with aging infrastructure, at $793 per household per year.
The flat rate of $1,286 per single family per year in the village of Belcarra in Indian Arm is the most expensive flat rate in Metro Vancouver.
Water bills in Vancouver are expensive because of the old facilities. Often, the water bills paid by residents are used to pay for water, the city's operating network, repairing broken pipes and upgrading the system. Mark Schwark, director of water and utilities management for the City of Vancouver, said that much of the city's infrastructure is more than 100 years old, which is a special situation.
According to the city's website, Vancouver's goal is to replace about 1% of its water mains each year, which would cost about $30 million.
Port Coquitlam has the cheapest water to use
Port Coquitlam, on the other hand, has the lowest flat rate of $474 per family per year, followed by Delta City at $489 and North Vancouver at $514.
Port Coquitlam's senior municipal manager said the city's goal is to "provide basic water and sewerage utility services to its residents at the lowest cost" when it comes to utility rates. He said the city council's budgeting process was "always looking for savings and efficiencies."
Metro Vancouver is the region with the highest water consumption in the country
However, looking back at Metro Vancouver's report, wholesale water prices increased by 20% during the off-season period from 2016 to 2021 and by 29% during the peak season months.
On the other hand, total water consumption in Metro Vancouver fell by 5% between 2000 and 2020 to 373 million cubic meters. However, in 2021, water consumption reversed the growth by 1% to 387 million cubic meters. It may be related to the large demand for household water during the epidemic.
"Reducing water use per person is critical to ensuring we have enough water," said Vanessa Anthony, director of the Greater Warming Water Authority, "especially during the summer months when the drought lasts longer... We have one of the highest water consumption regions in Canada. ”
Schwark said that in Vancouver, all multi-family homes have installed water meters, and about 15 percent of single-family homes have voluntarily signed meter installation agreements. The city is working towards a final, universal metering. However, it is the responsibility of the individual municipality to decide whether or not to install a water meter. West Win and Langley are the only municipalities to implement universal metering.
However, from a governance perspective in Metro Vancouver, Anthony said discussions are underway to set water conservation targets as part of his drinking water management plan.
"We don't have a target yet. We just know we need to use less water because we have the highest water use in Canada," she said.