Surrey residents urged to get water meters to drive down usage

Surrey is being urged to do even more to get its residents on metered water in order to cut down on consumption.

Metro Vancouver has released a report on the daily water usage of residents, with a strong message urging cities to do more to get to 100 per cent water metering for residents.

The worst city in the region is Pitt Meadows in average per capita daily water usage, with Surrey ranking as one of the best in Metro Vancouver, according to the report.

Surrey residents use an average of 304 litres of water per capita per day, according to the report, while Pitt Meadows residents use 601 and Delta residents use 566. The lowest usage in the region is New Westminster at 265.

Only three cities in Metro Vancouver are fully metered, Langley City, Richmond, and West Vancouver, meaning residents don’t pay a flat rate, but instead pay for all the water they use on a daily basis.

Surrey sits at a rate of 78 per cent when it comes to the percentage of single-detached homes and duplexes that are metered – far ahead of just 17 per cent for Vancouver residents.

Surrey is working to add even more residents to water meters through a pilot project.

The city is offering an $850 value incentive towards the installation of a water meter. This incentive is for the first 1,000 single-family or duplex homeowners by end of 2026, as part of the Water Meter Rebate Pilot Program.

The city says residents could save an estimated $1,467 per year on the average utility bill. Surrey’s non-metered homes incurred an additional $293.57 sewer levy this year as a result of Metro Vancouver increasing the regional sewer levy to fund the new North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, the city said.

Under the pilot program, residents can access:

A free meter and setup valued at $450, plus a $400 rebate toward installation — for a total incentive of $850 for the first 1,000 eligible single-family or duplex homes.

Up to $1,500 in rebates for multi-family stratas with 15 or more units, available to the first 30 strata properties.

While many homes require an upfront installation investment, the city estimates that most residents will recover these costs within two to four years, with immediate savings beginning from their first metered bill.

“If you’re not metered, you’re not just paying for your own water — you’re helping cover a greater portion of the costs of leaks across the system,” said David Matsubara, director of utilities. “That’s a key reason why flat-rate bills are so much higher. Expanding metering helps us pinpoint and reduce losses, which ultimately lowers costs for everyone.”

Metro Vancouver has a higher residential per capital demand (246) than Greater Victoria’s (220) and the City of Portland (177).

“The Metro Vancouver region is one of the few major suppliers in Canada that do not universally meter the end-user,” says the region’s report. “Meters are used not just for data collection and improved modelling of the system, but for efficiently identifying leaks in both the water system and on the end-user side. When combined with volumetric rate structures (e.g. pay by use), meters help residents make informed decisions to reduce water demand.”

In 2021, there were 168,569 metered accounts in the GVWD region, representing 35 per cent of the total serviced connections, and 47 per cent of total water consumption.

“The region’s progress in advancing metering has been slower than was accounted for in the demand forecasting for the Water Supply Outlook 2120,” said the report.

The report details several factors influencing the demand for water and they include:

• Population and population growth projections – drinking water demand closely correlates with changes in population.
• Land Use – Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) and Agricultural – each sector has its own water consumption patterns.
• Housing mix and Density – as housing density increases per capita demand decreases, as single-family homes use significantly more water per capita than multi-family.
• Demographics – higher income households generally use more water per capita.
• Climate – drinking water use increases as rainfall decreases and temperature increases.
• Water conservation policies – e.g., lawn watering restrictions will reduce demand, particularly in summer, if successfully implemented and enforced.
• Universal metering – enables the introduction of ‘active’ water conservation measures and provides customers and system operators with the information they need to understand usage patterns and address leaks.
• Rate Structures – universal metering allows the implementation of rate structures that incentivize conservation.
• Leakage Reduction Programs – universal metering supports the implementation of an effective leak reduction program.