Riverview expects 'significant' water rate hike because of algae

The rateMoncton charges to Dieppe and Riverviewfordrinking water is projected to rise 15 per centnext year in part because ofblue-green algae in the region's municipal drinking water supply.

The algaewere found in the Turtle Creek watershed in 2017 and once again this year. The watershed supplies drinking water toMoncton, Dieppe andRiverview.

Moncton, which owns the reservoirs, has said the algae have not affected water safety. But the city has incurred added costs as it looks at ways to manage the problem.

Moncton sells the drinking water toRiverviewand Dieppe at a wholesale rate.

RobertHigson, the town'sdirector of finance, saidthe wholesale rate of 53.2 cents per cubic metre is projected to increase to 61.4 cents per cubic metre.

"This increase this year is significantly more than in prior years," he said.

Staff looking to lessen impact

The increase could be felton water bills.

If the full increase is passed on to consumers, residential water bills could go up by $30 to $40 annually, Higson said.

Staff are looking at ways to reduce that impact, such asadjusting plans to replace oldcast iron pipes, he said.

"We're going to do everything we can to keep that as low as we possibly can," Higson said.

Monctonwould not comment on the hike before the city's budget is formally presented to citycouncil.

"It is too early to say if it will have an impact on our customer rates or what it may be," Julie Albert, a spokesperson for the City of Dieppe, wrote in an email. "Our Finance Department has been made aware of the projected increase in wholesale water rate and are working on the numbers."

The results of that will be presented during budget deliberations set for Nov. 19, Albert said.

Water sale agreement

Moncton has a water sale agreement with the other two municipalities. Under the agreement, municipal staff meet each year to discuss future water rates.

The wholesale water rate for Dieppe and Riverviewincreases based on actual expenses incurred by Monctonin the previous year, according to the staff report to Riverview council.

Dieppe charges a flat combined water and sewer rate of$928 annually, its website says.

Riverviewcharges$874 a year for combined residential water and sewer service. Higsonsaid the potential impact of the increase is about one-third of that bill.Commercial properties are metered and pay$3.15per cubic metre for water and sewer service.

Monctonresidential customers are charged based on water and sewer use and pipe connection size.