Background Living Here

Water & Sewer Rates

Water and Sewer Rates
Water accounts are currently billed based on a basic charge and a metered usage charge. Sewer fees are also applicable and are based on a basic and a volume charge. The volume charge for sewer fees is based on the metered water usage.

Effective Spring 2014, a new water and sewer rate structure began in which all customers pay a fixed monthly charge based on the size of their water meter and a fixed volumetric charge based on the water usage.

Water & Sewer bills are based on actual readings.

Commercial properties: water meters are read and water and sewer accounts are billed six times per year (every two months).

Residential properties: water meters are read and billed four times per year (every three months). 

The Water Usage Customer Portal is available to Orillia residents and businesses that have a water and sewer billing account with the City of Orillia. This user-friendly portal allows you to monitor your water usage, understand current and previous billing, optimize water conservation through real-time water usage monitoring, and customize alerts that notify you of water consumption which can help identify potential problems such as leaking toilets and taps.  Sign-up for the free portal and start tracking water usage at orillia.ca/waterusage or under the Online Services tab on the City’s homepage orillia.ca. All you need to sign-up is an email address, your water account number and your name exactly as it appears on your water bill.  

Please be aware that higher-than-normal consumption may indicate a leak within your home. Residents and businesses are responsible for water consumption, including consumption caused by leaks.

Water and Sewer Rates and Fees 2021

Water and Sewer Rates and Fees 2020

Water and Sewer Rates and Fees 2019

Water and Sewer Rates and Fees 2018

Comparison of Residential Water and Sewer Rates
Stormwater Fees

Stormwater infrastructure has traditionally been funded through municipal taxes for most Ontario municipalities. Some Ontario municipalities have recently implemented a stormwater fee to promote a more sustainable approach to stormwater infrastructure asset management and provide transparency. The City of Orillia implemented a Stormwater Utility Fee beginning in 2017 to support stormwater management measures.  On December 7, 2020, Council approved moving the City from flat stormwater fees for Multi-Residential (four or more residential units) or Non-Residential (industrial, commercial, institutional or multi-use) Properties to a tiered system of fees based on calculated impervious areas, in order to provide a more equitable application of fees. Residential properties (properties having three or fewer residential units) will remain on a flat fee.

 

 Residential Properties
The 2021 Stormwater Fee for Residential Properties will be an annual flat fee of $59.00 per property, payable in monthly instalments of $4.85.  This is based on an average impervious area of 188 m2 per property.  “Impervious Area” refers to the area on a property covered by artificial structures such as buildings, asphalt, concrete, brick, stone and rooftops, which do not allow infiltration of stormwater into the underlying ground.
 Multi-Residential and Non-Residential Properties

For Multi-Residential or Non-Residential Properties, the Stormwater Fee is based on the “Impervious Area Equivalent”.  Impervious Area Equivalent means an estimation used by the City of the Impervious Area on a property based on the rooftop area and property type and size.

The Impervious Area Equivalent shall be calculated based on double the rooftop area to account for impervious areas on lots.  If this calculation results in a value greater than the total property area, the total property area shall be used.  For parking lots, the entire property area is used as impervious. 

The 2021 Stormwater Fees for Multi-Residential and Non-Residential Properties are based on the following six tiers:

Tier

Impervious Area Equivalent

Annual Fee

Smallest

Less than or equal to 188 m²

$       59.00

Small

> 188 m² to 752 m²

$     236.00

Medium-Low

> 752 m² to 1,504 m²

$     472.00

Medium-High

> 1,504 m² to 3,008 m²

$     944.00

Large

> 3,008 m² to 6,016 m²

$  1,888.00

Largest

> 6,016 m²

$  3,776.00
 Billing
For Residential Properties, the new Stormwater User Fees Structure will be billed monthly and becomes effective for the billing period following the first actual meter reading in Spring 2021. For Multi-Residential and Non-Residential Properties, the new Stormwater User Fees Structure will be billed bi-monthly and becomes effective after the May 2021 billing period.
 Appeal
Chapter 461 of the City’s Municipal Code provides an appeal process for Multi-Residential and Non-Residential property owners who dispute the amount of the Stormwater Fee Charge levied against their property. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the General Manager of Development Services and Engineering. The decision of the General Manager of Development Services and Engineering with respect to an Appeal shall be considered final and binding.  
 Stormwater Fee Credit Program

To encourage implementation of on-site stormwater reduction or improvement measures a Stormwater Fee Credit Program has been implemented.  These credits are available only to Multi-Residential or Non-Residential Properties. The credit application must be accompanied by a Professional Engineer’s report identifying and confirming that the on-site stormwater reduction or improvement measures meet the requirements of the credit program.  A manual for the credit program application is available. The credit program will provide up to a 50% credit on stormwater fees, based on the following evaluation criteria:  

Category

Evaluation Criteria

Total Credit

(50% Max)

Peak Flow Reduction

Percent reduction of the 100-year post-development flow to pre-development conditions of the site.

Up to 40%

Water Quality Treatment

Consistent with Provincial criteria for enhanced treatment.

Up to 10%

Runoff Volume Reduction

Percent Capture of first 15 mm of rainfall during a single rainfall event

Up to 15%

Pollution Prevention

Develop and implement a pollution prevention plan.

Up to 5%
 Frequently Asked Questions

What did I pay last year?

All residential properties in the City (three residential units or less on a single property) paid $59.00 per year.

All non-residential and multi-residential properties in the City paid $408.92 per year.

Why is there a new fee structure?

Previously, all of the non-residential and multi-residential properties in the City paid the same flat fee, regardless of their impact on the stormwater system.  This meant that small properties that had a minimal impact on stormwater paid the same as large properties with a significant impact on the stormwater.  The new fee structure is intended to charge stormwater fees more equitably across the City, so properties with a larger impact on stormwater pay higher stormwater fees, and properties with lower impact on stormwater pay lower stormwater fees.

Residential properties (three residential units or less on a single property) continue to pay a flat fee.

How are the stormwater fees calculated?

The fees are calculated based on the estimated amount of impervious area (such as roof tops and parking lots) on a property.  Impervious areas force stormwater into the City stormwater infrastructure.  The estimate of impervious area is calculated based on twice the total rooftop area on the property.

What is stormwater?

Stormwater is the rain and melted snow that flows from your property, onto the streets and into the storm drains. Along the way, the stormwater picks up debris, chemicals and other pollutants from rooftops and paved surfaces that enter the storm drains and watercourses.

What is the Stormwater Fee?

The stormwater fee is a user fee that will be used to help fund Orillia’s Stormwater Management program. The stormwater fee came into effect in 2017. Prior to 2017, stormwater management was funded through property taxes.

What is Stormwater Management?

The City provides stormwater management services to protect the community and environment from stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is water that flows off properties mostly due to rain and snow events. Hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, and parking lots increase the amount of runoff from each property. Stormwater management controls water flow quantity in order to help prevent flooding and water flow quality in order to protect the environment.

What will the Stormwater Fee contribute to?

The stormwater fee will be used to continue to fund stormwater management infrastructure, maintenance and projects for Orillia.

Where does the stormwater currently go?

Stormwater from rain and snow melt naturally soaks into the ground in a process called infiltration. With Orillia being an urbanized community with houses, roads, parking lots and other hard surfaces, these factors prevent water from infiltrating into the ground. The disruption to the water cycle means that stormwater runs off to other areas, such as lakes and watercourses, which can lead to flooding, and other environmentally damaging effects.

What is the difference between the stormwater fee and the water and wastewater fee?

The stormwater fee is a fee that will be used to fund Orillia’s Stormwater Management program. The water and wastewater fees are used to fund the maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure and separate from the stormwater infrastructure.

Stormwater from my property does not flow into the City storm drains, can I forgo paying the stormwater fee?

Properties that don’t directly use the City stormwater system have uncontrolled discharge to the local environment and waterways.  The City needs to put in control measures in other areas to make up for these discharges, so they also need to contribute to the fees.

Chapter 461 - User Fees - Environmental Services and Operations - Stormwater 
e-Billing Service
The City of Orillia now offers e-billing as a way to receive your residential water and sewer bills.

Sign up to have your water and sewer bill delivered directly to your personal email account. To set up e-billing, you will need your most recent water and sewer bill to enter your account information. Once the information is submitted, you will receive an automatically generated email confirming your successful sign up. If no confirmation is received, please try again or contact the City of Orillia Financial Services Department at 705-329-7239.

Once you sign up for e-billing you will no longer be mailed a paper copy of your water and sewer bill.
Bill Payments
Water & sewer bills may be paid to the Financial Services Department by one of the following options:

IN PERSON - Financial Services Department, Orillia City Centre, 50 Andrew St. S., 1st Floor - Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm (Holidays excepted)

(If payment is made in person at the Financial Services Department, please bring your entire bill with you.)

BY MAIL - If paying by mail and your cheque is not a sufficient receipt, return complete bill with stubs and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Make cheque payable to City of Orillia and remit to: 50 Andrew St. S., Suite 300, Orillia, ON L3V 7T5

INTERAC PAYMENTS - lnterac payments can be made at the Orillia City Centre

DROPSLOT - To assist you in making payments a drop slot has been provided on the outside of the Orillia City Centre building (50 Andrew St. S.) to the right of the front door

BILL PAYMENT BY INTERNET OR TELEPHONE - Arrangements must be made through your financial institution for this type of payment

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS - Payments can be made in person at most financial institutions

You may request to have your water bill automatically debited from your bank account by completing & submitting our Pre-Authorized Water Payment Form for consideration.

PLEASE NOTE: THE CITY DOES NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LATE ARRIVAL OF PAYMENTS MADE BY ANY OF THE ABOVE METHODS. IF PAYMENT IS NOT MADE WITHIN 15 DAYS FROM THE DUE DATE, WATER MAY BE SHUT OFF AND ADDITIONAL CHARGES MAY APPLY, OR THE WATER ACCOUNT BALANCE MAY BE ADDED TO TAXES WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE.

Please contact the Financial Services Department at 705-329-7239 if you any questions regarding your bill.

PROPERTY OWNER must complete the Owner Agreement for Tenant form to authorize water and sanitary sewer charges be billed directly to the tenant. The form must be forwarded to the Financial Services Department for processing.
2020 Rates (Reference Purposes Only)

For reference, the 2020 rates were as follows:

  • Basic residential stormwater rate per property/30-day period:  $3.00
  • Basic industrial/commercial/institutional stormwater rate per property of unit/30-day period:  $33.61

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