Meter Pilot Project
VAID is very pleased to announce that we successfully applied for a grant for $ 969,352.00 from the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs that will cover all the costs of purchasing and installing water meters to all our water connections.
Following is initial project information. More information will be added to address public concerns.
An introductory community meeting was held May 22 – 19 members of the public attended along with 5 Trustees and 3 employees. Notes from the meeting can be seen on this page.
A second community meeting to share updates was held Oct 9 with 7 members of the public attending. Also present were 3 Trustees and 3 employees. Notes from that meeting can be seen on this page.
Please encourage folks to ask us if they have concerns or questions.
Provincial news release (BC Govt News website)
All Costs Covered
Eligible costs include the following (from the grant application):
- costs for purchase of water meters including ancillary data collection devices, radio or cellular data transmitters, and/or endpoints;
- costs for installing meters at customer connections including supporting materials and services such as meter boxes and landscape restoration (for pit installations);
- costs for meter data collection devices and infrastructure (“automated metering infrastructure”) and supporting software;
- costs directly related to procurement and installation of water meters, such as project planning, engineering, management, logistics and/or scheduling meter installations;
- costs related to customer communications about metering implementation and logistics;
- costs related to permitting, First Nations engagement, and archeological assessments, if required.
Expert Assistance is Provided
Assistance for planning, procurement, and implementation is being provided by KWL and Econics, who lead regular Teams meetings addressing all aspects of the project. Also present at the meetings are personnel from BC Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs with occasional guest speakers. More details of this process are included in the Terms of Reference PDF.
Budget
The amount of $969,352 applied for and received is a project estimate from a provider to complete the entire project. Our estimates of the project cost if VAID does some parts and contracts others is somewhat lower, giving room for unexpected cost. Contact us for details if you would like to know more. Contracts have been awarded for “Site Works – Installation of Meter Setters and Pits” (Davis Ventures) and “Meter and Software Supply” (Flow Systems).
Meter Location
Meters will be located in meter pits at the property line. Like current connections and meters, they will be property of VAID and accessible only by VAID’s water operators and designated representatives. Customers will be able to access their usage online.
Meter Reading
The meters will use cellular-based AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), using existing cellular networks to collect meter data continuously. Once in place, residents will be able to access their water data online, using Neptune360:
A convenient, proactive way for consumers to monitor their own water consumption 24/7. Users no longer have to wait for a bill to detect possible issues, which means less water lost and fewer high bill complaints. Users can set water thresholds and out-of-town alerts for greater peace of mind. And water conservation is encouraged when consumers can see how much they actually use with easy-to-read charts and graphs.
Neptune My360 is web-based to work on all devices and is always up-to-date. Easily customize to your utility’s branding and get up and running quickly without the need for complex integrations.
Billing Structure
Customers will continue to be invoiced by VAID. No other authorities are involved with collecting Van Anda’s water system costs (apart from amounts owing when a property is sold).
Billing structure has not yet been determined. Mock billing will be in place for a year before switching to live billing. This will allow us to collect the information needed to determine how to better proceed with billing. During the mock billing period, customers will be informed of their water use and the cost if live meter billing was in place. They will also be able to see their own water use and set notifications using their online account.
Privacy Concerns
This project is subject to FOIP. Data shared by communities to research teams will be anonymized before sharing.
Timeline
The Project guidelines state that meter installation must be completed by March 2027. We are currently on schedule and expect meters to be in place and mock billing started by June 2026.
Public Concerns
We attempt to address all concerns from the public. Here are some answers to recently posted concerns.
See Metering Concerns and the May 22 Meeting Notes.
FAQ’s Frequently Asked Questions
Questions or Comments?
This page is open for discussion. We will do our best to answer your questions.
Again I would like what we are going to be charged per cubic metre.. You have Texada Boat Club are well as other places on meters so what are you charging them per cubic metre.
Hi Amber, Thanks for your question. Please encourage others to ask us directly so we can share the relevant information.
Regarding your question on future rates, we really do need more information and here is an explanation with an amount given FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
Current commercial metered water rates are $95/month for 40 cubic meters (m3), which works out to $2.55/m3 – IF they use the full amount. Many use less, so may be paying a much higher amount per m3. Usage over 40 m3/month has a higher rate of $4.00/m3.
The 2025 budget gives a cost of $1.71/m3 for water produced. This cost is calculated by water treatment expense divided by total water produced. The treatment cost of water lost to leaks must be built into the billing structure. Whether the water is lost from mains or on private property is the biggest obstacle to defining how much the eventual cost to the consumer per m3 will be. Information from meters will show how much leakage is in the mains and how much on private property as we will be able to compare metered use with total production volume.
A rough estimate can be made using 2025 budget amounts for current cost IF METERING WAS ALREADY IN PLACE:
• If half our water is lost to mains leaks (not on private property), the cost to consumers would be $3.42/m3.
• If quarter of total water produced is lots to mains leaks and the rest of the leaks are on private property, then cost to consumers would be $2.23/m3.
• Alternatively, there could be a rate structure like the current commercial rates.
• Another option is a base fee for all connections to equally share the cost of the leaked water ($428/year if half leaked from mains, $214/year if quarter lost from mains) and water use at cost of production per m3 added to that.
• There may be other billing structures to consider once we learn more.
With less water use from continued leak repair and consumer awareness, there will be a decrease the resources needed for water treatment (cartridges, electricity, chlorine, salt, parts replacements, and labor) so hopefully decrease the production costs; however, all these resources are constantly increasing in price so it is impossible to predict what costs will be in 2 years when metering billing begins.
Customers are billed only what is needed to cover costs. This is not a “cash grab”. Improvements Districts are a very limited form of government that control only the utilities they provide, in Van Anda’s case, potable water and fire protection.