Coquitlam looks to split water meter bill with cost-conscious residents

It’s a chance for Coquitlam residents to get on the meter.

In the interest of stopping up leaks and introducing a more equitable pay-per-spray approach, Coquitlam has a new plan to allow interested residents to get hooked up to a water meter.

Residents who want to pay for how much water they use – as opposed to the current flat rate – can pay between $1,500 and $3,300 for a water meter. The total price depends on the size of the meter.

While other cities have covered the full cost of installing a water meter, Coquitlam is set to split the bill with residents, likely resulting in lower uptake, according to a city staff report.

“I want to make sure it’s an informed choice,” said Mayor Richard Stewart during a Sept. 29 council meeting.

Most single-family homes would require a 19-millimetre, which has a total cost of $3,022. The resident and the city would split that bill. Residents would also pay for the meter in installments.

The city has $1 million set aside for the program, with metered water and sewer billings set to be implemented in 2027.

Generally, water meter requests tend to come from seniors who don’t use as much water as their neighbours but pay the same amount, according to city staff.

The bill passed on to residents is based on the amount of water used – which fluctuates – but also on fixed costs such as maintaining the labyrinth of pipes under the city as well as buying water from Metro Vancouver, Stewart noted.

The Richmond approach

After initially making water meters voluntary, meters in Richmond have been mandatory since 2017.

In that time, the city’s population has increased while total water consumption has dipped from 162 to 143 million cubic metres.

Flat and uneven

The top 20 percent of single-family households in Coquitlam use nearly five times more water than the bottom 20 percent, according to a city staff report.

The households that use the most water, “are not likely to volunteer for a meter,” according to the report.

City residents cut water use in 2024, dropping to 201 litres per day – 44 litres below the regional average.

City staff estimate that 10 to 15 percent of use is due to water leaks, likely adding up to between 20 to 30 litres per person per day.

“There are leaks that nobody knows about, and this will help to find them,” said Coun. Craig Hodge.

Starting in 2027, new developments in the city are set to pay metered water rates.

The city’s industrial, commercial, and institutional customers are fully metered.

Related: Metro Vancouver urges water meters, but metering the city could cost $20-million, PoCo estimates