Nelson residents could see a $100 increase on their utility bills next year as the city aims to cover the cost of aging water and wastewater infrastructure.
City staff tabled proposed rate increases for water, wastewater and resource recovery for 2026 at a Nov. 14 special council meeting.
For resource recovery, staff proposed a $25 increase to $175 annually. Water rates could rise by $38 and wastewater rates by $45.
For the average single-family home, the combined increases would add about $8 a month, or $100 a year.
On the commercial side, an $18 monthly increase for water and wastewater was proposed for a large business.
A small business with five fixtures would face a $15 monthly increase.
The city attributes much of the increase to the need to replace its aging infrastructure.
“We’re dealing with aging infrastructure, so specifically to our water and wastewater utilities. We’ve got a five-mile pipeline that’s 100 years old,” said chief financial officer Chris Jury.
“We’ve got a force main and wastewater treatment plant that are both built in the 70s, early 70s. The wastewater treatment plant was upgraded in 2005, but those are, you know, as we know, needing improvements.”
Planning and engineering work for the force main has already started and will resume in 2026, with construction planned for 2027.
Replacing the city’s wastewater treatment plant will cost about $30 million and extend well beyond 2030.
Other major projects include the eventual replacement of the five-mile pipeline, upgrades to the city’s treated water storage and watermain upgrades across multiple neighbourhoods.
Jury said the projects will deplete the city’s reserves over the next decade, and borrowing and grants may be required.
Staff will bring back the rate proposals for first, second and third readings at the Dec. 2 council meeting. If approved, they will come into effect in January.
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