Photo: Darren Handschuh

Big commercial, industrial and institutional water users in the Greater Vernon area could be in for a major hike in their water bills.

“The largest user would see about a $20,000 increase annually,” Stephen Banmen, finance manager, told the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee.

However a majority of committee members went along with a proposal to ding the major water users after director Bob Spiers objected to the rate structure supplied by North Okanagan Regional District staff.

Spiers warned of a $103,000 shortfall in the proposed $20,412,000 budget without a change in the rates.

Domestic users are still expected to see a two per cent hike in the base rate, according to Spiers. “The ones in the middle category, including myself, will go down actually because of the consumption rates.”

Quarterly bills will start going up again at about 140 cubic metres water use level, he said.

Those at the highest level, including Vernon Jubilee Hospital and Okanagan Spring brewery, could see an increase of up to 8.9 per cent.

Spiers rejected a suggestion big users would suffer a rate shock. “They'll pay their fair share.”

Greater Vernon Water is also preparing for a possible drought.

Member of a defunct drought action committee, including swimming pool and car wash operators, will be approached to see if they are willing to return to the table if strict watering restrictions are imposed this summer, said Juliette Cunningham, GVAC chair.

“It has been recommended by the province that we have drought plans in place and we do,” said Cunningham. “We are actually ahead of a lot of jurisdictions in the province but we just need to tweak it to take into consideration all of our water sources now and have a group prepared to respond if we get to that point.”

Cunningham said the tweaking includes adding the Kal Lake water source to the drought plans.