SUMMERLAND, B.C. – Farmers and orchardists in Summerland are next in line to be hooked up to water meters. Residential meters were turned on a year ago.
An information session took place Tuesday night, providing details of potential rate plans for large irrigators.
“We had enough water this past year, which was a difficult year for lots of communities in British Columbia,” says Lorrie Coates, financial director with the District of Summerland. “We don’t know what climate change is going to bring us. No one does.”
The District is proposing a base fee for farm irrigation water to guarantee revenues.
“So the real consideration that we’re asking our citizens to take a look at today is the combination of a base fee and a consumption rate,” says Coates. “The higher the base fee, the more guarantee there is in the revenue stream for the district, so the less impact from weather. In a really wet year, we still would have a certain level of income that we know is going to be coming in, not dependent on how much water is used by our irrigators.”
Further measures would be implemented to control water waste.
“We’ve got a handful, a small percentage of the 500 who have excessive use,” Coates says. “We’re going to be working with them to get that reduced into the future.”
Farmers attending Tuesday nights event owned property larger than two acres.
A meeting takes place Dec. 9 from 3 -7 p.m. at the Summerland Arena Banquet Room on Jubilee Road for residents with properties under two acres. Some of those properties have two water meters, one for domestic water and one for irrigation.
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