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EDITORIAL: Time to meter water

Other communities have realized a drop in water consumption once meters were installed

Mission council voted in favour last Wednesday of proceeding with a pilot program which will bring the district one step closer to water metering.

Coun. Jeff Jewell succeeded in convincing other local politicians to go ahead with the initiative, which will see a sample metering program implemented to measure water consumption in older homes, as newer homes are already metered.

It’s an encouraging step forward, but remains a small advance of an issue that is so fundamentally important.

The District of Mission is one of the few communities in the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley which does not meter water use in all homes.

Given the preciousness of this finite resource, it’s time Mission gets fully on board and leaves behind the flat-rate fee entirely.

We see this as a simple matter of fairness and efficiency.

If you use more, pay more. If you’re cautious with water usage, you should be rewarded with lower utility bills.

Mission and Abbotsford share a water system, and since our neighbours to the south are metered, they can say unequivocally how much they use, which compels Mission to pay the remainder of the tab.

Water metering is the next logical step, and one that is overdue.

To rebel against this common and well-received practice is illogical.

Numerous communities have demonstrated that installing meters on homes reduces usage, and this is something for which we should all strive.