As a municipally-owned utility, operating on a cost of service basis, Halifax Water does not have profit built into its rates. The funds collected are the funds required for operations, capital investment and debt financing to provide quality service for our customers.
Your bill will now show any applicable water, wastewater and/or stormwater base rate(s) for each day of the billing period rather than by month or year.
The cost per year for these charges has not changed. Customers will now pay the base rate(s) for each day of the billing period rather than by month, quarter or year.
The daily charge is based on the existing annual base charge divided by the number of days in the year.
Stormwater Rates
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNER STORMWATER RATES
The Site-Related Flow (SRF) charge is a Halifax Water charge based on the stormwater that flows from each private property into the Halifax Water stormwater system. This charge is calculated based on the impervious area on the property. Properties with more impervious area (ie. roofs, asphalt, concrete, and packed gravel) would pay more than those with less impervious area.
Effective April 1, 2023, per a decision by Halifax Regional Council, the HRM ROW charge moved from Halifax Water bills to the municipal tax bill. Learn more here.
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Annual SRF Charge | Equivalent Daily SRF Charge | |
| Tier 1: Less than 50m2 of Impervious Area | $0.00 / year | $0.00 / day |
| Tier 2: 50m2 - 200m2 of Impervious Area | $19.00 / year | $0.0521 / day |
| Tier 3: 210m2 - 400m2 of Impervious Area | $38.00 / year | $0.1041 / day |
| Tier 4: 410m2 - 800m2 of Impervious Area | $76.00 / year | $0.2082 / day |
| Tier 5: Greater than 810m2 of Impervious Area | $115.00 / year | $0.3151 / day |
| Culvert Service Only | $19.00 / year | $0.0521 / day |
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNER sTORMWATER RATES
Non-residential properties are charged a different Site-Related Flow Charge based on the fact that there is more variation in their impact on the stormwater system depending on their size, characteristics, and property use. This means it is important to measure these properties individually, and also provide a credit system or adjustment mechanism to refine how non-residential properties are charged.
| Annual SRF Charge | Equivalent Daily SRF Charge | |
|---|---|---|
| Impervious Area | $0.173/m2 Impervious Area | |
| Culvert Service Only* | $19.00/year | $0.0521 / day |
*Properties with a culvert that are not billed the site-related charge will receive an annual culvert charge.
Water & Wastewater Service Base Charges
| Size | Water | Wastewater |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mm (5/8") (Typical Residential) |
$0.4274 / day | $0.4603 / day |
| 19 mm (3/4") | $0.5918 / day | $0.6575 / day |
| 25 mm (1") | $0.9534 / day | $1.0849 / day |
| 38 mm (1.5") | $1.8082 / day | $2.1041 / day |
| 50 mm (2") | $2.7945 / day | $3.3863 / day |
| 75 mm (3") | $5.5890 / day | $6.7726 / day |
| 100 mm (4") | $8.6795 / day | $10.5534 / day |
| 150 mm (6") | $17.3260 / day | $21.0740 / day |
| 200 mm (8") | $31.1014 / day | $37.9397 / day |
| 250 mm (10") | $51.7808 / day | $63.2219 / day |
Metered Water & Wastewater Service
Halifax Water customers with a water meter are charged the applicable rates below for their water consumption and wastewater discharge. To learn more about how your water meter works, click here.
| Effective Date | Water Consumption | Wastewater Discharge |
|---|---|---|
| On/After April 1, 2023 | $1.128/m3 | $2.259/m3 |
Non-Metered Water & Wastewater Service
Customers without a water meter are charged the Non-Metered Service rates for their water and wastewater services. Water and wastewater non-metered service rates are based on the projected usage of the customer, as estimated by Halifax Water based on the best information available, including comparison with similar customers.
| Effective Date | Water Service Size | Water Consumption Rate | Wastewater Discharge Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| On/After April 1, 2023 | 15 mm (Typical Residential) |
$0.9534 / day $29.00 / month $87.00 / quarter |
$1.4795 / day $45.00 / month $132.00 / quarter |
| 19 mm | $2.2027 / day $67.00 / month $201.00 / quarter |
$3.7808 / day $115.00 / month $345.00 / quarter |
|
| 25 mm | $4.0767 / day $124.00 / month $372.00 / quarter |
$7.1671 / day $218.00 / month $654.00 / quarter |
Building Fire Protection System Annual Fees
| Fire Service Size | Annual Charge | Equivalent Daily Charge |
|---|---|---|
| 25 mm | $50.00 / year | $0.1370 / day |
| 50 mm | $69.00 / year | $0.1890 / day |
| 75 mm | $170.00 / year | $0.4658 / day |
| 100 mm | $275.00 / year | $0.7534 / day |
| 150 mm | $619.00 / year | $1.6959 / day |
| 200 mm | $904.00 / year | $2.4767 / day |
| 250 mm | $904.00 / year | $2.4767 / day |
| 300 mm | $904.00 / year | $2.4767 / day |
Regional Development Charges (RDC)
This charge applies to any new building or expansion of an existing building that connects to Halifax Water’s central water and/or wastewater system. This charge also applies to an un-serviced lot of land, occupied by a building, existed prior to July 14, 2014, when the building is connected to the water and/or wastewater system.
*An adjustment for CPI will be made annually to the RDC on April 1.
As of April 1, 2023, regional development charges are:
| In effect before April 1, 2023 | In effect as of April 1, 2023 | |
| Water RDC | $1791.07 per unit | $1921.82 per unit |
| Wastewater RDC | $5710.01 per unit | $6126.84 per unit |
| In effect before April 1, 2023 | In effect as of April 1, 2023 | |
| Water RDC | $1202.95 per unit | $1290.77 per unit |
| Wastewater RDC | $3835.08 per unit | $4115.04 per unit |
| In effect before April 1, 2023 | In effect as of April 1, 2023 | |
| Water RDC | $8.84 per square metre | $9.49 per square metre |
| Wastewater RDC | $28.18 per square metre | $30.24 per square metre |
During regular business hours:
- $55.00
Outside of regular business hours:
- $210.00
Setup fee for all new accounts:
- $25.00
To access bulk water you must have a pre-paid account.
Bulk water rates are: $2.35/m3
*plus an annual permit fee of $115.00/vehicle
Halifax Water's Non-Sufficient Funds charge:
- $25.00 + Bank Charges
Halifax Water may charge penalties in addition to applicable water charges for each illegal water connection as follows:
- 1st offence: $300.00
- 2nd offence: $750.00
This monitoring service is available for Halifax Water customers who are large water users and have private distribution systems. It is meant to monitor the metered flow and report abnormal water usage to the customer:
- $120.00 per month, per meter
Bills issued outside the regular billing cycle:
- $12.00 per copy
