Water Billing

All properties in the Town of Grimsby below the Niagara escarpment are billed for water services. Residential and commercial properties receive a bill every four months.

The Town of Grimsby offer its residents many options to pay their water bill.

Changes Coming to Your Water and Wastewater Bill in 2026!

Big changes are coming to how Grimsby residents are billed for water and wastewater services starting in 2026.

Here’s what’s changing:

• One combined bill: All properties will now be billed for 100% of water and wastewater services directly on the water bill.
• No more wastewater levy on the tax bill: The wastewater tax levy (SAR) will be eliminated beginning in 2026.
• Bills will be based on your meter size (for fixed charges) and your actual water usage (for variable charges).
• Billing timelines will increase from tri-annual to bi-monthly, helping customers track water use and manage their budgets more easily.

The new system is consistent and easy to understand for everyone. Customers with the same meter size and consumption will pay the same amount.

Visit our Let’s Talk Grimsby page for lots more information about these changes, timelines and Frequently Asked Questions.

Try our online calculator to estimate what your first bill under the new rate structure and timeline will be.

Charges on your water bill

There are three charges that appear on your water bill – a fixed water charge, a variable water charge, and a variable wastewater charge:

• The fixed charge pays for the cost of maintaining the water system
• The variable charges are based on consumption and are determined by your water usage. (The Town subtracts your last reading from the current reading to calculate the amount of water usage for the billing cycle).

2025 Water rates

The 2025 water and wastewater rates are effective January 1st, 2025:

Fixed water rate (Base Charge) is $115.41 every four months

Variable rates, based on consumption:

• Variable water rate $1.57 per m³ (1,000 L)
• Variable wastewater rate $1.72 per m³ (1,000 L)

*Wastewater usage determined by water usage.

2025 Water and Wastewater Rates Frequently Asked Questions

How much extra will I pay on my water bills in 2025?

The 2025 water fixed rate is budgeted at $346.23 per year, an increase of $10.

The average consumption for property owners is 200m3 per year – water rates will result in an estimated increase of $6.00.  Wastewater rates will result in an estimated increase of $98.

The average bill for four months will increase by approximately 38.00.

What about the Wastewater Tax Levy?

The responsibility or funding the wastewater program has been divided equally between a tax levy, distributed among property types, and a wastewater user rate. This fee model will remain in place in 2025 with a levy of $427 for an average assessed value of $442,000 (an annual increase of $98).

Why has the cost of Wastewater increased so significantly?

Main drivers of the 2025 wastewater budget increases relate to Regional asset management reviews which have increased their budget needs for infrastructure renewal. Their budget then gets apportioned among the local area municipalities. The Region bills all local area municipalities based on a three-year rolling average of consumption. The Region recently discovered a calibration error that has resulted in a recalculation of our share of costs and subsequent increased apportionment.  Another factor is Inflow and Infiltration – where more stormwater and rainwater infiltrates the Wastewater system, this increases wastewater treatment flows.  A project is underway to identify these areas and work towards correcting this to reduce future costs.  Despite the 2025 increase, Grimsby’s wastewater rates remain below average when compared to other Niagara Region municipalities.

 Where can I find the budget documents?

2025-consolidated-budget-book-final-v2.pdf

2025 Tax Rates and Tax Levy Report

2024 Water rates

Fixed water rates (Base Charge) is $112.05 every four months

Variable rate, based on consumption:

• Variable water rate $1.54 per m³ (1,000 L)
• Variable wastewater rate  $1.23 per m³ (1,000 L)

Wastewater Billing

As approved by Council on March 6, 2023, the Town of Grimsby funds 50% of the wastewater program through a wastewater variable rate, while the remaining 50% is funded through the tax bill as a special area levy, representing the fixed portion of the service cost. Funds collected through the wastewater tax levy are used to pay for sewage treatment costs, routine maintenance programs, and long-term capital rehabilitation and replacement programs.