Wetaskiwin water bills show estimation correction

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Wetaskiwin residents have been wondering what’s been going on with their water bills.

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Wetaskiwin water bills show estimation correction Back to video

While not all customers were impacted, several Peace Hills Utilities Inc. customers saw an increase or decrease in their water consumption on the July bills.

The City of Wetaskiwin released a statement last week, saying, despite Aquatera performing meter readings every month, bills sent out for May and June were based on water usage estimates instead of the actual meter reads. For some, these estimates were under their actual rate of consumption, meaning the difference was included on their July bill. This is what caused the higher-than-average bills to be issued for some residents. For others, the estimates were higher than their actual rate of consumption, meaning they received a credit on their July bill.

The estimates were done because there was an issue importing water meter data in May and June. To calculate the estimate, the software averages every month on an annual basis. Over the year, there can be several factors resulting in lower or higher estimates, including vacations, changes to the number of people living in the home, or a dead battery on the meter.

When estimates are used, an actual read is supposed to take place the following month. The actual reading for the following month will account for any differences from the previous estimate. For example, someone billed $50 in one month based on estimated consumption when their actual consumption was $100 would see an additional $50 added to their next bill in which their meter was read to account for the lower estimated consumption.  Alternatively, a household billed $100 in one month based on estimated consumption when their actual consumption was $50 would see a $50 decrease of their next bill in which their meter was read to account for the higher estimated consumption.

Customers who experienced an increase in their July bill due to the inclusion of the May and June overages will not incur penalties or have their water shut off if they are unable to pay their July or August bill in full due to the error.

Refunds will be automatically applied to August bills. If requested, refunds are available prior to the next billing cycle if the request is made between Aug. 22 and 28 to ensure future billing cycles are not impacted.

Consumption for July is considered accurate and reflects the July 1 rate increase, which was approved by Wetaskiwin City Council earlier this year where Council accepted the recommendation from Peace Hills Utilities Inc., which recommended monthly wastewater and water fees increase 16 per cent as of Feb. 1, with an additional 15 per cent increase to begin on July 1 to ensure sufficient revenue is generated for the provision of utilities to customers and to cover the costs of operations and the repayment of the debt associated with the construction of the new wastewater treatment facility starting in 2024.

To prevent this from happening again, additional internal controls are being put in place around the utility data import to ensure actual readings are being used for utility bills each month. Utility bills showing an estimated read code will be flagged and will be investigated prior to bills being sent out.