City of Calgary Irrigation Service Rate Up 30% in 2015

City of Calgary irrigation customers with a separate irrigation meter will see their 2015 water bill go up dramatically thanks to a 30% increase in the Irrigation Service Rate.  

The unusually large hike in the usage rate is partially offset by a reduction to the fixed irrigation charge.  It reflects a one time adjustment by the City to offset a reduction to the fixed charge (deemed inequitable in the past) and to provide a greater incentive for irrigation customers to manage their water usage.  

Irrigation customers without an irrigation meter are charged a combined Water and Wastewater Rate on their outdoor water usage. This blended rate increase for 2015 is in-line with general water rate hikes - i.e. between 5.5% and 8.4%, depending on customer classification.

The 2015 rates for irrigation water usage are as follows:

2015 Irrigation Water Usage  - separate irrigation meter:

    Irrigation Service Rate - $2.8886 per cubic meter (2014: $2.2188)

2015 Irrigation Water Usage - no separate irrigation meter:

    Multi-Family Residential  - combined Water & Wastewater Rates - $2.9076 per cubic meter (2014: $2.7083)
    Residential Customers - combined Water & Wastewater Rates - $2.8726 per cubic meter (2014: $2.7269)
    Commercial Customers, with meter less than 75mm - combined Water & Wastewater Rates -  $2.5799 per cubic meter (2014: $2.3473)
    Commercial Customers, with meter greater than or equal to 75mm - combined Water & Wastewater Rates -  $2.2251 per cubic meter (2014: $2.0525)

Complete water rate information for 2015-2018 can be found on the City of Calgary website.

The new rates came into effect on January 1, 2015.