By Steve Hubrecht
Unmetered water rates will jump drastically in Invermere starting next year.
The District of Invermere implemented universal water metering more than a quarter century ago, back in 1998. All Invermere residents were supposed to get water meters installed and pay for their water according to their use. However, a small handful of locals, giving various reasons, managed to put off installing the meters, and even today, 26 years later, there are still 10 unmetered water user in Invermere.
“Since then (1998) they have enjoyed very low water rates,” Invermere chief financial officer Karen Cote told Invermere council.
How low? Water users pay a flat rate of $600 a year.
That’s comparable to Wilmer, where the annual flat rate for unmetered water is $800 a year, but is a red hot bargain compared with annual flat rates for unmetered water in many other nearby communities — $3,600 a year in Edgewater; $4,800 a year in Rushmere; $6,100 a year in Spur Valley; and $11,400 a year in the communities along the east side of Lake Windermere.
At the March 26 council meeting, Invermere councillors unanimously voted to bump Invermere’s unmetered water rate from $600 a year to $4,000 a year. The new rate will come into effect in April 2025.
Cote outlined that over the years, the district has made calls and pursued other measures to get Invermere’s uncooperative water users to install meters. Nothing has worked so far.
“I like that this is not punitive, in the sense that they (unmetered water users) have a full year to get a water meter before they start having to pay more. They have time,” said Invermere councillor Kayja Becker. “I don’t know how else we can get their attention on this issue, short of standing outside their houses.”
Invermere councillor Gerry Taft was also happy with the April 2025 start date for the new rates, saying that “maybe there really are some very valid reasons that they don’t have water meters. This gives them a lot of time to bring up those reasons with us.”
