Understanding Your Utility Bill

Knowing how to read your bill is a good way to monitor your exact water usage, enabling you to conserve water and reduce your costs.

In order to have full transparency, all charges for water, wastewater, curbside garbage collection, and recycling services have been identified as separate line items on your bill. The utility bill is issued in the name of the property owner and includes the account number; service address; due date (month/day/year); amount now due and amount payable after the due date (i.e., amount due, plus a late payment penalty).

The utility bill contains the following basic account information:
        Account Number:
        Name:
        Service Address:
        Billing Period: from (month/day/year)   to   (month/day/year)

If any of the account information is incorrect on your bill, please contact the Financial Services Department at 519-235-0310 ext 233.

The Utility bill also contains the following meter reading information: 

• Current Reading
• Previous Reading
• Consumption

The difference between the current reading and the previous reading is the amount of water used during the billing period. If you have a "zero" reading; or a reading, consumption that does not make sense for the water/sewer used for that period, please contact us so that this can be followed up. If you have unusually high water consumption please contact us immediately, as you may have a leak somewhere on your property.

What are the rates?

A typical single family residential Utility bill contains the following billing information based on 2024 rates:

Water Consumptive Charge at $1.85/m3

Water Base Charge at $111.69 per quarter

Exeter/Hensall Pipeline Debt Charge at $69.52 per quarter (Exeter)

Exeter/Hensall Pipeline Debt Charge at $3.98 per quarter (Stephen)

Sewer Base Charge at $137.85 per quarter

Sewer Consumptive Charge at $1.81/m3

GBSTF & PS2 Debt Charge at $58.72 per quarter

Garbage Service (small bin) at $101.08 per year or $25.27 per quarter

Recycling Service at $47.68 per year or $11.92 per quarter

Can you explain the charges on my utility bill?

The current water & wastewater rates were established by a Water & Wastewater Rate Study completed in April 2019 by an independent financial consultant. The study involved a review of all costs to own and operate the South Huron water/wastewater systems, including operating costs, capital costs, purchase of treated water costs, debt repayment, asset management/life cycle costs and contribution to capital replacement reserves. Essentially, the rates reflect the cost to deliver these services, to protect public health & safety, ensure regulatory compliance and to properly manage these valuable public assets. The financial consultant forecasted costs for a fifteen (15) year period and recommended rates that are sustainable, as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The study was a transparent public process, that involved Public Meetings, Presentations to Council, public notices/advertising, social media and web site posts. It is anticipated that the Water & Wastewater rates will begin to be reviewed in 2024.

What the Charges Mean:

1.   Water Consumptive Charge is the variable cost per cubic meter to purchase treated drinking water from the LHPWSS Water Treatment Plant and deliver it to the customer, including testing, chemicals and pumping costs that vary with the volume of water used.

2.   Water Base Charge is the fixed cost to maintain/operate the water distribution system including oversizing/maintaining the system in firefighting condition. These fixed costs include regulatory compliance, contribution to capital reserve (Asset Management), funding for capital projects, property taxes, administrative costs, insurance, planned and unplanned maintenance/repairs.

3.   Exeter-Hensall Pipeline Debt Charge is the cost to repay South Huron’s share of the Exeter-Hensall pipeline debt, based on the annual principal and interest costs for a 25-year debenture, that will be fully repaid in 2034.

4.   Sewer Consumptive Charge is the variable cost per cubic meter to convey and treat wastewater at the wastewater treatment plants, including testing, chemicals and pumping costs that vary with the volume of water used.

5.   Sewer Base Charge is the fixed cost to maintain/operate wastewater collection systems, sewage pumping stations and wastewater treatment facilities. These fixed costs include regulatory compliance, contribution to capital reserve (Asset Management), funding for capital projects, property taxes, administration costs, insurance, planned and unplanned maintenance/repairs.

6.   GBSTF & PS2 Debt Charge is the cost to repay South Huron’s share of the debt for the Grand Bend Sewage Treatment Facility and Pumping Station 2 Upgrades, based on the annual principal and interest costs for a 20-year debenture, that will be fully repaid in 2037.

When the GBSTF & PS2 Upgrades were completed, homeowners in the Grand Bend Service Area had the option to pay in full for their portion of the costs; or spread out the costs, with interest, over 20 years on their utility bill.

7.   Garbage Service is the cost for Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) to collect garbage at the curbside on a weekly basis, including trucking and disposal at the South Huron Landfill Site. This also includes a portion of the cost to own, operate, and maintain the landfill site, regulatory compliance, contribution to perpetual care reserve, property taxes, administration costs, insurance, planned and unplanned maintenance/repairs.

8.   Recycling Service is the cost for Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) to collect recyclable material at the curbside on a weekly basis, including trucking, processing, and distribution/sale of recyclable material. This also includes a proportional share of the cost to operate and maintain the BRA Huron Park Recycling Facility.

If you have any concerns regarding your water/sewer bill, please contact the Financial Services Department at 529-235-0310 ext 233.

If you wish to switch to preauthorized payment, please contact us at 519-235-0310 ext 233.