Industrial Water Rate
In January 2008, the City of Toronto implemented an industrial water rate to support the growth of businesses using water for processing purposes and to encourage water conservation.
How can the new industrial water rate benefit my company?
The industrial water rate is approximately 28 per cent less than the general water rate for the 2011 year. The General Water Rate is $2.2842 per m3; the industrial water rate is $1.5989 per m3.
| General Consumer | Industrial Water Rate Consumer |
|---|---|
| 100,000 x $2.2842 = $228,420.00 |
6,000* x $2.2842 + 94,000 x $1.5989 = $164,001.80 |
*The general water rate is charged on the first 6,000 m3 for all customers.
Are You Eligible for the new Industrial water rate?
To qualify for the industrial water rate, customers must meet the following criteria:
- Consume more than 6,000 cubic metres of water annually;
- Fall within the industrial tax class;
- Be in full compliance with the Sewers Bylaw;
- Submit a comprehensive water conservation plan to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Toronto Water.
Properties Classified under more than one Tax Class Assessment
If only a portion of your property is assessed as industrial by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, a key requirement of the industrial water rate is that a separate meter must be installed to isolate the industrial flow.
Many facilities have multiple City meters on-site, which may already isolate industrial flow. If this is the case for your facility, you must advise Toronto Water of all meter numbers and identify which meter(s) isolates industrial flow. We will arrange for a site visit to confirm a City meter isolates the industrial flow. Once this has been confirmed, you are eligible for the industrial water rate (provided your facility is in compliance with the Sewers Bylaw, and a water conservation plan has been submitted and approved).
If your facility does not have an existing City meter that isolates industrial flow, a new meter must be purchased. To purchase a meter, the Mixed User – Meter Information Form must be completed (available by calling 416-392-7000), and forwarded to Toronto Water. When the meter has been installed, the City will conduct a site visit to verify the industrial flow is isolated, and you will then be eligible for the industrial water rate (provided your facility is in compliance with the Sewers Bylaw, and a water conservation plan has been submitted and approved).
If you feel that sub-metering is not feasible for your facility, a technical submission demonstrating why a sub-meter cannot be installed must be submitted along with your water conservation plan.
You must be in compliance with the following:
- City of Toronto Water Supply By-law
- Ontario Plumbing Code
- Ontario Building Code (if required)
- all necessary plumbing permits and inspections
Once installation of the meter(s) is complete and the City has confirmed that the industrial process flow has been isolated, billing at the Industrial Water Rate will be effective from the date the new meter was installed.
The Industrial Water Rate will only be applied to your industrial process water use, as isolated by the separate meter(s)/water account.
Contact for more information
Questions about completing and/or submitting a water conservation plan and progress reports: savewater@toronto.ca or 416-392-7000.
Water Conservation Plan template: toronto.ca/water/industrial
Water rate and tax classifications: Revenue Services: 416-338-4829
City of Toronto Sewers Bylaw:
toronto.ca/water/protecting_quality/pollution_prevention/
Call 311
For information on, or to determine if there are outstanding Notices of Violation and/or Pollution Prevention Plans: p3help@toronto.ca, or 416-392-9940 to speak with your bylaw officer or industrial waste control supervisor.