This week, city council's utility committee meets on Jan. 27 to review EPCOR Water Service's 2025 operational plan.
EPCOR said it has made progress on its project to replace most water meter reading technology in the city. The project will improve monthly bills and give customers more information about water use, according to a report that is scheduled to be presented to council's utility committee.
The meters sparked controversy as some customers expressed concerns about their ties to an Israeli company that has been criticized for extracting and exploiting water in the West Bank and Gaza. About 300 customers opted out of the new meter for "various reasons," and EPCOR dropped part of the fee charged to those customers, an EPCOR spokesperson told CBC. The installation of the rest of the meters is expected to be finished by the end of 2025.
EPCOR reviewed its existing measures to manage demand in response to the water supply interruption and ban on non-essential water use in late January 2024.
In 2025, EPCOR said it will launch an updated stormwater rebate program and work with the city to support the review of the substantial completion standard. EPCOR has proposed a cogeneration system at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant to convert biogas to electricity.
EPCOR plans to make several structural changes in 2025 to become more efficient. Employees working in water distribution and transmission, wastewater collection, construction, and customer operations will be brought together, which will help with the development of EPCOR's integrated operations centre, the report said. The centre will help EPCOR manage and optimize its systems, and proactively identify issues.
Council and committee meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.