Council Watch | Diamond Valley’s Water Rates: What Are We Really Paying For?

Water and wastewater rates are among the concerns I hear most often when speaking with residents around Diamond Valley.

At the October 7 Council meeting (1:31:33), Council directed Administration to prepare the 2027 rates using a plan intended to achieve full cost recovery by 2028.

For an illustrative household using 25 cubic metres of water every two months, the combined water and wastewater bill, including stormwater charges, is projected to rise from $271.43 in 2026 to $315.93 in 2027 and $372.18 in 2028.

That’s a substantial increase for households already managing rising costs.

But there’s more to this discussion than the amount on our utility bills.

During the meeting (1:24:40), reference was made to approximately 50% water loss in the Town’s water system. Council also acknowledged that anticipated residential growth hasn’t materialized as expected, leaving infrastructure costs to be shared among fewer residents than originally projected.

Both points deserve a closer look.

I’ve said for years that our water and wastewater rates have not reflected the full cost of providing these essential services. Operating, maintaining and eventually replacing infrastructure all cost money. Delaying those costs doesn’t make them disappear.

However, full cost recovery should also mean understanding where the money goes, how efficiently our systems operate, and whether we’re adequately planning for their long-term replacement.

There are important questions still to answer:

• What does the reported water-loss figure actually measure?
• How much of the proposed increase will support infrastructure repair and replacement?
• How have lower-than-expected development numbers affected the financial projections?
• Are we planning for the full lifecycle of our water and wastewater infrastructure?

These aren’t questions about whether we should pay for essential services. They’re questions about how we manage those services responsibly and fairly.

I’ll be looking more closely at the figures, the Town’s development assumptions and the proposed infrastructure funding as we approach the October 21 Council meeting.

Good water management isn’t simply about what we pay. It’s also about what we protect, maintain and leave for the next generation.

Sustainability grows when we share it.

— Sustainable Life | Council Watch