Water and Sewer Billing

Home/Business Services/Water and Sewer Services/Water and Sewer Billing

The City of Thorold, in conjunction with the Niagara Region, provides safe, high quality drinking water to residents - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through strategic reinvestment in our water and wastewater infrastructure, we help to ensure it remains in a state of good repair.

Thorold's water and wastewater rates support:

safe, high quality drinking water that meets or exceeds all Provincial standards;
wastewater services that meet the needs of the community and protect the environment; and
well-planned and sustainable infrastructure.

City Water & Sewer Rates:

The City's water and sewer rates are determined through the annual budget process. Council adopted the 2024 water and sewer budgets at its meeting of May 7th. The Budget report can be viewed here

To learn more about the City's water rates and sewer rates, please see:

How your bill is calculated:

Water consumption is based on the number of cubic meters (m³) of water used per billing cycle. For residences, a billing cycle is every 3 months.

The average family uses about 200 m³ of water per year.

Your bill is calculated by adding your quarterly fixed-service to your consumption charge (based on your water usage).

The table below illustrates an example of the quarterly charges for a residential customer who has used 50 m³ of water:

2024 Water Sewer bill example	Rate ($)	Quantity	Total ($)
Water Charges
Fixed service charge (absolute minimum)			57.57
Consumption charge	1.567/m³	50	78.35
Sewer Charges
Fixed service charge (absolute minimum)			86.92
Consumption charge	2.36/m³	50	118.00
Total bill			340.84

Important water billing facts:

Property owners are responsible for all water and sewer charges for their property, including their tenants' use; This includes responsibility for excessive usage due to toilet leaks, etc
Your water meter determines property water consumption. If the meter stops working or shows a low reading, your bill may be estimated until a new meter is installed;
The City will 'back-bill' for charges not previously billed for service that was actually delivered to the customer due, but not limited to any of the following reasons: stopped meter, metering equipment failure, water bypass, tampering, fraud, theft. For more information, please refer to the City's Water-Sewer Back-Bill Adjustments Policy.
Future budgets will transfer more of the funding onto the sewer bill and away from the property tax levy.
For answers to the City's Frequently Asked Questions, please read our FAQ - Water-Sewer.

Additional Charges

		Effective May 8, 2024
Charge per cubic meter		$3.926
Charge on overdue accounts		5% one time charge
Charge for shut-off or turn-on of Water Services during working hours for maintenance		$91.00 +HST
Charge for shut-off or turn-on of Water Services during working hours for arrears		$109.00 +HST
Charge for shut-off or turn-on of Water Services outside normal working hours		Actual Cost
Hard copy of water bill		$ 5.00
Hard copy of water account		$ 5.00
N.S.F. administrative charge		$27.00
Water - Sewer Account Status Certificate		$27.00
New account administrative fee		$17.00
Transfer to taxes fee		$33.00
Failure to allow installation of meter or remote (per month)		$447.00
Failure to allow access to inspect meter (per month)		$447.00
Water on construction - first 3 months (at building permit stage)		$174.00
Water on construction - 4th month and beyond-every 3 months		$401.00

Water Account Inquiries

To ensure the protection of personal information, water account inquiries will only be discussed with the property owners or authorized agents on file. Confirmation of identity, include specific information from the prior water bill, will be required with every request for information.

If you would like to request a confirmation of payment, a copy of your water bill, a statement of your water account, or have another question, please fill out a Water Account Information Request Form. Please note, there is a $5 fee for each copy of a water bill or statement of water account. The fee will be automatically added to your water account when the form is submitted.

Purchasing or selling your property?

Are you purchasing a property in Thorold? Please fill out our New Water Account request form.

Selling your property in Thorold and need a final water meter read? Please fill out our Final Water Meter Read request form.

Overdue Water Accounts - Transfer to Property Tax Accounts

Account balances not paid off in full 60 days after the due date will be transferred to the respective property tax account and incur monthly interest at 1.25%. (By-law 1783(93)).

Water Account E-billing

Have your water bills sent via email through our e-billing program - sign up here.

Have e-billing and want to change your email or cancel e-billing - make your changes here.

E-billing is available to property owners only.

Water on Construction Fees

Potential Access to water during construction is charged at a flat rate on a 3 month basis as a ‘Water on Construction fee’. The building permit application fee includes the Water on Construction fee for the first 3 months of access. Starting 3 months after the permit issue date, invoices will be prepared and issued by the Finance Department. Invoices will continue to be issued until the installed water meter is inspected and tagged by the City’s Public Works Department. Any questions regarding Water on Construction fees or billing should be directed to the Water Clerk at water@thorold.ca.

Water and Sewer Billing

I Want To

Apply or Register

Pay

Report a Concern