Water Rates to Go Up

Water and sewer rates are on the rise in Fort Frances.

At their budget meeting yesterday, town councillors discussed a 2 per cent hike for residential users while the variable rates for industrial, commercial and institutional sectors will go up an average 17 per cent.

Operations and Facilities Manager Doug Brown says the additional revenue will go towards replacing aging infrastructure.

"W find there's 13 kilometres of pipe that's reached the end of their life," says Brown. "What are we going to do with those 13 kilometres of pipe? There's streets over top of it we have to address. There has to be money in place to start replacing that pipe in the long run."

Brown says the higher rates for the I-C-I sectors also brings the cost of providing sewer and water services more in line with that paid by the residential users, but there is still about a one dollar gap.

Formal acceptance of the new rates is expected later this month.