Fort Saskatchewan residents protest high water bills

A group of Fort Saskatchewan residents isprotesting after receiving water utility bills in the thousands ofdollars.

The group, called Fort Sask Water Wars, is planning to hold a rally on the steps of Fort Saskatchewan city hall Tuesday while councillors are meeting inside.

Tanya Gallant founded the group after she and her husband were shocked by a $2,100 bill for water usage at their townhouse in 2015.

"We thought automatically, 'OK, that has to be a clerical error,' " Gallant told CBC News. "Every time you open up your water bill, you're scared you're going to have another one like that."

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When the couple approached city administration, Gallant said staff stuck by the amount listed on the statement and wouldn't make changes to the bill.

Historically, their household would typically be charged approximately $200for water every two months.

Gallant hired a plumber to check the toilets and pipes in their home. The plumberfound nothing to explain the high water bill.

Their next bill returned to the usualamount, she said.

"We are frustrated," she said. "We keep getting the same answers but all we want is a solution."

Fort Saskatchewan residents must pay their bills unless they can prove there was an error, city manager Troy Fleming said.

Ongoing issue

Abnormally high water utility bills arean ongoing issue for the city 25 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

In 2015, Fort Saskatchewan's city council hired KPMGto audit the city's water management system. The third-party investigator found no problems with how the city was billing its residents.

"The only explanation that we're aware of would be that the water was actually consumed and passedthrough the meter," Fleming told CBC News.

However, the report did not evaluate the water distribution system, including the water meters currently installed in homes.

Another possible explanation for a high water utility bill is a toilet in need of repair. If not working properly, toilets can pass water straight to the sewers withoutleaving a trace, Fleming said.

Flood of changes coming before council

In response to publicconcern, Fort Saskatchewan city council is making changes.

As of Jan. 1, the cityis moving to monthly billing for water, sewer and solid waste rather than sending out bills every two months. The first monthly bills are being mailed out this week.

The change"will allow customers to have a more accurate sense of water consumption and will improve household budgeting," the city says on its website.

In February, council will bring forward a policy that would forgive a portion of a high water utility bill if a resident can prove it was caused by an unknown leak.

Infrastructure upgrades, including automated meter reading technology, will be considered by council in March. This allcomes with a price tag of several million dollars, Fleming said.

The final goal is for awater consumption app to be developed for Fort Saskatchewan residents so they can find any abnormalities in their use before they are hit with ashocking utility bill.

"We do care about this, we are listening," Fleming said.

Although it will take several years to make these changes, Fleming is hopefulthemeasures will"restore the trust" between residents and city administration.

anna.desmarais@cbc.ca

@anna_desmarais