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How User Rates Charges Are Calculated

User Rates charges are based on a combination of water use, fixed service charges, and the type of property.

How this Works

Total bill = water consumption + fixed charges x number of units

The type of property determines how these charges are calculated.

🏠Residential (up to 4 units)

  • Single-family home
  • Single-family hom with a secondary suite or carriage house
  • Duplex
  • Triplex
  • Fourplex

Charges are based on:

Water Consumption
  • Measured by the water meter(s)
  • Charged using tiered rates per dwelling units

👉 Tier limits increase based on the number of units on the property.

Fixed Charges
  • Water base rate (based on the meter size)
  • Sewer unit rate (per dwelling unit)
  • Garbage charge (per dwelling unit)
  • Garbage upsize charge (if applicable)

➡️ Residential User Rates Charges Estimator

🏢Multi-Family Residential (5+ units)
  • Apartment
  • Strata complex
  • Large multi-unit buildings

Charges are based on:

Water Consumption
  • Measured by the water meter(s)
  • Charged per 1,000 imperial gallons (4.54 cubic meters or 4,545 litres)
Fixed Charges
  • Meter base rate (based on the meter size)
  • Sewer base rate (per dwelling unit)

Multi‑family properties are billed based on total consumption rather than tiered per‑unit usage

🏬Non-Residential

  • Commercial, industrial, institutional

Charges are based on:

Water Consumption
  • Measured by the water meter(s)
  • Charged per 1,000 imperial gallons (4.54 cubic meters or 4,545 litres)
Fixed Charges
  • Meter base rate (based on the meter size)
  • Sewer base rate (per property)
  • Sewer consumption measured by the water meter(s) and charged per 1,000 imperial gallons

Non‑residential properties may include both water and sewer consumption charges.

Mixed-Use

Properties that include both residential and non-residential uses are typically billed based on the predominant use of the property.

In most cases, the rate structure is determined by the portion of the property with the highest allocation.

➡️ See Understanding the User Rates Statement for examples

Need Help?

For questions regarding how the charges are calculated, please contact the User Rates department.

User Rates
250-755-4525 ext. 2
user.rates@nanaimo.ca

Last updated: June 26, 2026

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