Can the City of Ottawa automatically notify residents about high water consumption? Councillor asks staff to investigate

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Morning Rush: Ottawa man stunned by $1,500 water bill

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An Ottawa councillor wants to know if the city can automatically notify residents about high water consumption, after an Ottawa man received a $1,500 water bill this spring.

Coun. Allan Hubley brought an inquiry to council Wednesday afternoon, saying he heard Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Bill Carroll discussing a CTV News Ottawa story about Paul Malouin’s water bill.

“As many residents may not know this service exists until it is too late and they have already incurred high charges due to some sort of leak or malfunction and the alert system has the capability to notify users when usage exceeds average daily use or usage surpasses a certain threshold, why are we not automatically offering this service to taxpayers?” Hubley’s inquiry said, noting many people are wondering why the city isn’t automatically signing residents up for alerts for water usage.

Malouin told CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday he was shocked to open the $1,547 water bill, more than 15 times higher than normal. The high two-month water bill was due to a silent leak in a toilet in his basement.

Malouin said he became more frustrated when he was told by City of Ottawa staff he could have registered high-usage alerts for water consumption.

• Ottawa senior stunned by $1,500 water bill

According to the City of Ottawa, residents can register for consumption alerts by signing into their My Service Ottawa account and selecting “alert subscription.” The system can notify users by email when usage is consistent over seven days, exceeds average daily use, or surpasses a set threshold. Residents can also track daily and hourly water use and compare past bills.”

Deputy City Treasurer Joseph Muhuni said, “homeowners are responsible for all water usage on their property.”

Hubley is asking staff if high consumption alerts for water usage can be turned on for all City of Ottawa residential water accounts, with the option to opt out if a resident chooses.

“The public has a question as to why the city isn’t automatically signing residents up for the high consumption alerts for water usage and allowing them to opt out of the service if they wish to, as many residents may not know the service exists until it is too late, and they have already incurred high charges due to some sort of leak or malfunction,” Hubley said at council.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he is open the idea.

“I think it’s a valid concern. If there is an opportunity for us to warn residents before that type of thing happens in the future, I’m certainly open to that. We just have to make sure we’re complying with all the different rules that exist around contacting residents,” Sutcliffe told reporters.

“I know, for example, with anti-spam regulations and that sort of thing, you can’t just have an email system where you email people and they opt out of it. You have to get their permission first.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dave Charbonneau