City offering bill relief for those forced to run taps continuously
By Medicine Hat News on March 16, 2019.
The city is offering relief for residents who have had to keep their water running to avoid frozen pipes. Customers who have been running taps for at least two weeks can opt-in for a discount, the city announced Friday. The discount will apply to those who had a tap running between January 23 and March 31. Customers must opt-in to receive this discount by completing a simple online form. (see link below) The form requires name, address, contact information, water meter number and the date they started to leave their water running. The water meter number is found directly under a graph on utility bills that shows water consumption, a city announcement states. If you require assistance to fill in the form, you can visit customer service at city hall or call a customer service representative at 403-529-8111. Using information from the AMI system, the city will verify that the tap has been running continuously for at least two weeks before the discount is applied. The discount will then appear as a credit on the customer’s subsequent utility bill. Customers who opt-in, and who are confirmed by the city to have been running a tap continuously for at least two weeks, will only be billed as if they consumed seven cubic meters per month. This is regardless of how much water is actually consumed during that billing period (actual metered consumption). Customers who received a letter from the city instructing them to leave their water running and those who had frozen lines, will automatically receive the discount. There is a slightly different procedure for business and commercial customers who have been running their water continuously. They need to call Environmental Utilities at 403-529-8176 for more information. The city says it will inform all customers when the risk of water lines freezing appears to have passed. The city says it appreciates customers who have been running their taps to prevent water services from freezing. It has helped the city respond to an unprecedented number of emergency requests this past month. https://www.medicinehat.ca/government/departments/environmental-utilities/water-utility/general-water-information/seasonal-reminders/discounts-for-running-taps 13-12
