Ottawa to ban attaching consumption monitoring devices to municipal water meters

Ottawa residents will soon be prohibited from using a smart consumption monitoring device to track their water usage, under proposed changes to Ottawa’s Watering Bylaw.

The Environment and Climate Change Committee will vote May 20 on changes to the Watering Bylaw, which serves as the comprehensive regulatory framework governing the municipal watering supply. The bylaw regulates water connections, usage, and metering to “maintain system efficiency and prevent unauthorized access.”

In a bid to prevent damage to municipal water meters, staff propose prohibiting property owners and renters from attaching a device to a city water meter.

“In recent years, property owners have begun attaching smart consumption monitoring devices directly to City Water Meters to remotely track water usage, particularly in non-residential and multi-residential properties,” says the report for the committee. “These devices interfere with the function of the water meter and its recording of accurate water consumption.”

Staff note the ban on smart consumption monitoring devices on a city water meter is designed to prevent damage to the city’s water meters and to “mitigate the risk of City staff inadvertently damaging privately owned equipment during service appointments.”

Property owners can monitor their water consumption through the City of Ottawa’s MyService Ottawa portal or submeters, according to the city.

The proposed changes to Ottawa’s Watering Bylaw also propose a $567 fee for cancelling an appointment for water service to address lost productivity.

“A new section and charge are being proposed to address costs incurred with same-day cancellation and rescheduling of drinking water service appointments,” the report says. “Schedule changes impose additional operational costs not captured by the current fee structure, and the new charge will reflect the time and resources lost when appointments are cancelled or unable to be completed due to incomplete work.”

Staff also recommend “more explicit language” requiring owners to notify the city within 60 days of taking possession of a property connected to Ottawa’s drinking water system.