The total bill for the median home - the number that the most number of West Vancouver homes are closest to - will jump from $1,209 in 2011 to $1,332 in 2012.
The numbers will continue to climb, and do not factor in a new sewage treatment plant.
By 2016, the median water bill will have risen to $774 and the median sewage bill will jump to $877, according to projections presented to council by director of finance Nina Leemhuis. She said those are subject to change, however; this year's sewage fee increase came in slightly below projections.
But despite those increases, West Vancouver won't collect enough to maintain its water infrastructure until about 2016, said Leemhuis. That's because right now West Vancouver collects less than half the amount required to pay for all projects over the next 100 years, and the cost of repairs is expected to spike dramatically over the next several decades.
Water fees will jump 12 per cent in 2012 to a median rate of $492, sewage fees will jump 10 per cent to a median rate of $599, and garbage pick-up fees will jump six per cent to a median rate of $241 - even as the district considers moving to garbage pick-up once every two weeks in 2013.
The cost increases stem partly from an increase in Metro Vancouver fees and a 2.5 per cent wage increase for workers, but especially the aging nature of the district's sewer and water mains.
All but a handful of the city's sewer and water infrastructure was built in the 1960s and '70s, and all of that infrastructure will need to be replaced over the coming decades. As well, West Vancouver's low density and geography conspire to increase the cost: there are 6.5 metres of water mains for every resident in West Vancouver compared to 1.5 metres per person in Vancouver.
Leemhuis estimated the total cost over the next 100 years at $1.1 billion, but that doesn't include costs associated with upgrading the Lions Gate sewage treatment plant from primary to secondary treatment, which is required by federal law. The budget for that project hasn't been finalized, and neither the province nor the federal government has written a cheque.
There was lots of concern around the council table in West Vancouver over the rate of increase, with Coun. Bill Soprovich questioning the "ever increasing amounts" and calling on council to keep in mind the ability of users to pay.
But councillors also expressed concern of aging infrastructure breaking down, with Coun. Craig Cameron warning of an infrastructure deficit they could pass onto next generations.
"We are not coming close to meeting our long-term costs for replacing infrastructure," he said. "This is something I believe we need to address very seriously in the next three years."
Residents do have some control over their costs, reminded Coun. Nora Gambioli, since water and sewage bills are based on usage. "So if you want to pay less in your utilities you need to get a low-flush toilet and you need to get a low-flow shower head," she said.
