City of Charlottetown hoping to speed water meter installation

The City of Charlottetown is proposing some "encouragement"forresidents to install a mandatory water meter: a $50 surcharge that would start in January, pending council approval.

• Charlottetown water meter installation: 5 things to know

When the project wasfirst announced, the municipality said customers would have until the end of 2019 to have a water meter installed.

Now, the city said the project is going well and it would like to see theprocess complete by the end of 2017. Starting in January, it's planning to charge an extra$50 perquarterly bill or about $200 a year to customerswho haveyet to schedule their installation.

"Everyone in the city has received two notices, and we're finding some people need a little encouragement," said RichardMacEwen, acting director of the Charlottetown Water & Sewer Utility.

"We're just trying to get things done quickly."

Proposed surcharge refundable

About7,000 water andsewer customers have already hadtheir new water meter installed, which leaves 3,000 customers yet to make an appointment.

"So as long as they make their appointment and have their meter installed, we will refund the surcharge," MacEwen added.

"If all 3,000 customers call and set up their appointment on January 2, they would all be eligible for that refund," said MacEwen.

Water conservation and leak detection are two requirements for the city's new well field, so the sooner water meters get installed, the better, he added.

'I don't think it's right'

But some say thisnew deadline and possible surcharge isn't fair.

JoeHambly has arranged to have his water meter installed this week, butbelievesany potential penaltyshould come with more notice.

"I don't think it's right that the city didn't notify us this was going to happen," said Hambly.

"Here it is, only a month and a half until January 1. When were they going to let people know, when they got their first water bill, in April, after the first quarter had passed?"

It doesn't make sense for the City of Charlottetown to take a heavy-handed approach to water conservation, Hamblyadded, at the same time as the province contemplates a water bottling facility on the Island.

The $50 surcharge is not yet a done deal,MacEwennotes a resolution is set to be voted on at the next city council meetingMonday, November 14, at which point council members will have their say.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS IWhy some Islanders voted, and others didn't
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS IGrowing grass in the sea: Why replanting eelgrass is so important for P.E.I.