Come March, Aquatera will be charging less for garbage collection and more for water services. Grande Prairie City Council has approved a 6.5 per cent decrease to landfill collection rates this year and a 2.5 per cent increase to water and wastewater fees both this year and next. Aquatera Interim CEO Jeff Pieper says those changes work out to $1.25 and $2 respectively.
“In the city of Grande Prairie, the water and wastewater systems are going up two and a half per cent for next year. We’ve also rolled back solid waste, curbside collection rates by six and a half per cent… The increase in water and wastewater was $2 each year and the decrease is about $1.25.”
Grande Prairie Energy Management & Environmental Services Manager Michelle Gairdner said previously that the rates are looked at every two years and adjusted as needed. Aquatera COO Jeff Johnston says the extra money collected will go towards a number of capital projects.
“There’s several projects that impact the city. One being we’re doing work down at the river for future new intake as well as we’re designing for construction this year a second feed line of water to the city. It’ll go up highway 40 to 68 Avenue, and there’s three studies; one for Huges Lake, one for downtown for the sanitary and one for the sanitary south of the hospital.”
According to Aquatera, the first round of rate changes are expected to roll out on March 1st.