The mayor of Shelburne knows water rates are high but she says right now there’s not much that can be done.
The current base rate for a typical home-sized meter, is $93.32 per quarter and a consumption rate of $2.36 per cubic metre.
The rates are among the highest in Western Nova Scotia.
Karen Mattatall says in 2010 the town did a $3-million water pipe expansion project in hopes of attracting more customers.
“I’m sure they did that in good faith hoping more people would hook up. Unfortunately that didn’t happen.”
Right now only 329 customers are using town water.
Mattatall says the water utility, by law, has to support itself and is not permitted to run a deficit.
She says there is a potential of a lobster plant opening in the industrial park.
They would use town water and Mattatall says that would certainly be positive for the utility.
