Utility Rates
COVID-19 RESPONSE
REMINDER: Water consumption thresholds return to pre-COVID19 rates
At their April 14 meeting, Town Council approved an adjustment to residential water consumption thresholds to mitigate against anticipated increases to residential water consumption. More details.
Beginning July 1, the water consumption thresholds return to the pre-COVID19 rates which came into effect on January 1, 2020. (details below)
The April tier adjustments supported residents whose monthly household water use would likely increase with more people home while provincial public health orders were in place. Council’s decision to return to regular rates was made in consideration of the Province’s phased relaunch strategy and our local businesses reopening their doors.
Town staff are available to help you identify ways to reduce your monthly water use, including tracking down potential water leaks. For information and tips on reducing water consumption at home, visit cochrane.ca/WaterConservation or call 403-851-2280.
Residential Utility Rates effective January 1, 2020
| Utility | Rate |
|---|---|
| Water consumption |
0-15 cubic metres = $1.22 per cubic metre 15-30 cubic metres = $1.72 per cubic metre |
| Water base rate |
$7.65 per month, flat rate |
| Sewer rate | $2.26 per cubic metre (see below for consumption calculation) |
| Sewer base rate |
$8.00 per month, flat rate |
| Storm sewer | $4.69 per month, flat rate |
| Waste and recycling collection | $22.48 per month, flat rate |
| Eco Centre fee | $5.00 per month |
Sewer Consumption Calculations
How does the Town calculate sewer consumption?
The Town of Cochrane tracks the volume of water delivered to your home and uses that number to calculate the water consumption amount on your utility invoice.
Water meters are read near the end of the month. Utility Bills are issued around the 7th of the month for the previous month.
The Town does not have a way to track the water going down the drain, so we use your water consumption to calculate your sewer consumption.
For residential accounts that have account history:
If you lived in your home from November to April, you have an account history.
To figure out your sewer consumption, we calculate your average monthly water consumption from November to April.
If you use less than 5 cubic metres of water during a winter month, a value of 5 cubic metres will be used to calculate the average.
This average is then applied to your bill as your sewer consumption starting in June until November.
This method of calculating sewer consumption is called winter averaging. It is used to ensure that residents do not pay sewer consumption for outdoor water use during the summer.
From November until April, the sewer rate on your Town Utility Bill will be calculated using the water you actually used in those months.
For residential accounts that do not have account history:
Sewer consumption is billed at 100% of water consumption for November, December, January, February, March and April.
Sewer consumption is billed at 80% of water consumption for May, June, July, August, September and October.
View the sample utility bill online to see where the waste and recycling collection and Eco Centre fees appear.
Non-residential Utility Rates
- Effective January 1 2020| Utility | Rate | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water consumption | $1.38 per cubic metre |
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| Irrigation consumption (Irrigation Meter) |
$2.54 per cubic metre |
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| Water and Irrigation base rates |
Based on meter size, per month flat rate
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| Sewer rate | $2.26 per cubic metre of water usage |
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| Sewer base rates |
Based on meter size, per month flat rate
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| Storm sewer rate | $4.69 per month, flat rate |
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| Bulk water rate Non domestic surcharge |
$4.00 per cubic metre $2.00 per cubic metre |
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| Bulk wastewater rate | $14.30 per cubic metre |