Story:

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) announced water meter installations in Pender Harbour, July 24.

“In order to ensure the treated water from the new facility is responsibly used, the grant funder requires that water meters be installed for all water customers,” Pender Harbour – Egmont directer Frank Mauro was quoted as saying in a press release. “The need to reduce water consumption is motivated largely by the desire to reduce the scale and cost of future infrastructure upgrades.”

The installations are expected to begin in the spring of 2013, to be completed sometime the following year.

A trial period with mock bills will also be rolled out, in an effort to allow residents to adapt to metering.

Universal water metering upgrades are part of a wider array of infrastructure projects rolling out in Pender Harbour.

Works included ultra-violet water treatment for Garden Bay and the installation of a water treatment plant in the South, a multi-million dollar initiative with a contract that’s expected to be awarded this fall.

Mauro predicted that an announcement might come in September, once staff have performed a “detailed review” of the tenders.

Contract deliberations are generally carried out in-camera before a decision is made.