Dauphin residents will be paying more for their treated water in the new year following the recent approval of a rate increase by the Public Utilities Board.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, the minimum quarterly charge for 5/8-inch standard household connection will increase to  $89.59 from the current  $79.12, a 13.2 per cent rise. That minimum will rise further to $92.96 on July 1, 2025, and to $95.39 on Jan. 1, 2026.

Additionally, in the new year water and sewer used over the minimum will be billed at $3.44 per cubic metre instead of the current $3.04 per cubic metre, again, a 13.2 per cent increase.

Those rates will increase to $3.59 and $3.67 per cubic metre on July 1, 2025 and Jan, 1, 2026, respectively.

The new rates will be reflected in the first quarter billing in April.

“In terms of importance for the city, it’s ramping up and continuing with slow and steady increases, as opposed to not doing a change for five years and then it increasing by substantial double digit percentages,” city manager Sharla Griffiths said, adding there was no increase in water and sewer rates in 2024.

The City will begin the process of another water rate study in anticipation of the lagoon expansion project set to begin next year.

“We had hoped that the lagoon project would have started earlier and then we could have included the cost of that lagoon project in the rates, however, it didn’t happen. So instead of waiting so that there was no increase in 2024, 2025 or 2026 and then having a huge increase in 2027 we’ve done this small two-year order, basically recovering 2025 and recovering 2026 for increases,” she said.

“We anticipate another increase in 2027 and we will and we will know what the cost of the project will be, because there will be tender contracts that are committed to. So we can plug that into the calculations and then we can have rates that cover or help to cover the cost going forward for that debt.”