Today’s letters: City water rates include a lot more than what you actually use

The city wants to measure the run-off on residential properties. Photo by JEAN LEVAC /POSTMEDIAArticle content

The drip-drip-drip of city water bills

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The City of Ottawa plans an aerial survey to photograph homes, and then determine how much water runs from roofs and driveways. My property has an area of 5,610 sq. ft. Of that area, the external footage of my home (single garage included) is 1,738 sq. ft., and my asphalt driveway is an additional 484 sq. ft. It has major cracks and so is somewhat permeable to water flowage. If it were impermeable, as is the roof, then I’d have 2,222 sq. ft. of impermeable surface for water runoff, and 3,388 sq. ft. of lawn and gardens to absorb water. The impermeable surface of my property then comprises 39.6 per cent of my property, and the permeable surface comprises the rest, or 60.4 per cent.

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I also collect water from a down spout into a 32-gallon garbage pail, and have two other garbage pails, each rated at 20 gallons’ capacity on the patio, in case of drought. Currently I’m holding 72 gallons of water for use in watering my garden, so not all runoff from my place goes into the city storm water pipes. I also put lids on the full pails to keep the mosquitoes out.

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In checking my water bill, from Feb. 13 to March 31, 2025, I used three steres (cubic metres) of water, costing $5.34. My bill was $91.37 when the city added in eight other charges (fire supply, storm water, waste water and service charges). Thus, 82.9 per cent of my bill is not for the water I actually used. My bill also explains why the rates are increasing because of inflation and upgraded infrastructure.

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For goodness sake: enough already!

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Bruce Switzer, Ottawa

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City drowning in its own approval process

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If I understand the city’s proposal correctly, the system will work something like this: the city, having required the builder to file a site plan for a housing project, eventually approved it with whatever amendments it deemed necessary, checked to ensure the houses were built in accordance with the city’s requirements — and will now charge residents a tax because it doesn’t like the way the property was approved.

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Am I missing anything?

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Tom Curran, Prince Edward County

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Helmets and safe driving would help

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Forget licences. What would make cyclists safer would be if it were the law that all of us, no matter our age, had to wear proper helmets, and if drivers would obeyed the rules of the road. I have grown accustomed to waiting for impatient drivers to run through red lights before trusting that I can cross many an intersection.

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Joanna Crilly, Ottawa

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