To hold homeowners more accountable for water consumption, city council in Charlottetown, P.E.I., is mandating the installation of water meters on homes with permanent swimming pools.
According to a report by the CBC, city council in the province’s capital voted 9-1 in favour of this directive, which it said is the first step towards equipping every home with a water meter. As a result of this decision, current pool owners will have to install meters next year, while those building a new pool will require one during installation.
“We’ve got a problem with swimming pools. They use double the amount of water,” councillor Eddie Rice, chair of the city’s water and sewer utility, told the CBC. “They use gallons and gallons of water and it evaporates daily. We have the figures.”
Councillor Terry Bernard was the lone vote against the resolution as he said it unfairly targets one group of homeowners.
“Let’s be fair to everybody. Let’s look at people that water their lawns. They come out in the morning and turn on the sprinkler and leave it on all day and come home,” Bernard said. “If the water department is going to look at it, look at everything at once.”
Currently, the ruling only applies to swimming pools, which require building permits. Inflatable pools can still be installed without a water meter.
