There’s been a change to how water rates are calculated in Penticton.
Starting next billing cycle, residential customers will notice the city moving towards an updated rate structure that’s designed to encourage water conservation.
Rates will still charge based on usage, however, a new three-tiered structure means “higher rates for higher volume users,” city officials said.
The change does not apply to larger multi-family residential customers with larger shared services, agricultural users, or commercial industrial customers, they added.
Updated rates were approved in November of 2023 and are set to apply to most residential customers in single-family or duplex homes. It will also apply to attached homes where units have an individual city water meter.
“Managing our water consumption, particularly through our hot and dry summers, is essential,” said Kristen Dixon, the city’s general manager of infrastructure. “We see a dramatic increase during the summer and conserving water in the warmer months allows us to support population growth in the community while deferring or eliminating costly infrastructure upgrades, keeping rates low for everyone longer term.”
People can visit the city’s water meter page for more information.
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