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Water, Wastewater, and Utilities

Water Breaks

Priorities: As many as 4 - 7 water breaks occur in Thompson weekly. With multiple breaks often present on any given day, the department needs to prioritize which breaks to address first.

Water breaks are not necessarily repaired in the order they crop up, but according to the risk they pose to health and the environment, the volume of water flowing through the break, and potential for further property damage. Read more about the way the City of Thompson prioritizes water break repairs in the Water Break Priority Information Sheet

PreventionThe City of Thompson upgrades its water and sewer mains every year through our Water and Sewer Main Renewal Program, replacing older copper pipes with composite piping that’s more resistant to corrosion, temperature changes, and the shifting of soil. Starting in 2022, the city will be investing over $40 million into its water and sewer systems over five years with the help of federal and provincial government funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. Over the first two years of this project, more than three kilometres of water mains and nearly two kilometres of wastewater mains have ben replaced.

Lawn RepairsThe city repairs lawns that are damaged by excavations for water main and service line breaks. These repairs include filling or removing material following a water break excavation, putting down topsoil and seed, and fertilizing the damaged portion of the lawn.
The soil filling the excavated area needs to settle before it can be properly repaired. The cutoff for summer repairs is May 1 of every year. 

When a lawn will be repaired during any given summer will be influenced by the year's curb and sidewalk repair schedule as well.

If your lawn was dug up between September and May, it's worth checking in to ensure you're on the list. Call 204-677-7970, or send an email to publicworks@thompson.ca

Water Main Cleaning
 
Water mains are flushed every year by running water through them and out through fire hydrants at high pressure. This clears city water mains of sediment and build-up and is why you may see fire hydrants running open in the city during the summer, and why your neighbourhood's water may be discoloured for short periods. See the PDF below for more information!

 
Annual Water Reports

The City of Thompson has long prided itself on the quality of its municipal water supply, and is committed to maintaining water quality, and being transparent about water treatment and testing. Below residents can find the results of our annual water quality report, compiled from data collected by an independent testing facility and reviewed by the Province of Manitoba, as well as results of random lead content testing.

Copies of the results are kept at our Public Works building.  Reports are available for viewing upon request. Please contact Public Works at 204-677-7970, or visit us at 120 Seal Road. 

Utility Rates

Residents in Thompson pay three fees associated with the water utility. One is a quarterly flat fee charged regardless of water use (which includes 14 cubic metres of water): this helps prevent budget shortfalls due to unusually low use. There is also a rate per cubic metre of water used and drained if you use more than 14 cubic metres of water in a three-month billing period. The special levy is a fee added to property taxes to cover the cost of repairing water line breaks on residential properties, so homeowners don't have to pay thousands of dollars from their own pockets. It is calculated by dividing the actual cost of repairing such breaks in the previous year by the number of eligible residential properties. Water service line breaks on commercial properties are the responsibility of the property owner. 

The current water and wastewater rates have been in place since July 1, 2022.


YearQuarterly Minimum ChargeWater Rate (cubic metre)Sewer Rate (cubic metre)Special Levy (Annual)
2024$100.60$3.81$1.79$96.21


For most of Thompson's history, water was provided for free to residents by INCO/Vale Canada, who owned the water treatment plant. In 2010, ownership of the plant began to be transferred to the City of Thompson, and property owners started paying for water based on the amount they used for the first time.

As people started to pay for water, they used less water to save money, but the cost of operating the plant doesn't change proportionally to the amount of water people use. Therefore, the less water that people use, the higher the cost per cubic metre. Thompson's water utility continues to undergo that correction.

Water bills can be paid by cash, cheque, or debit at City Hall's front desk, or by mailing a cheque. 

You can also set up an electronic funds transfer through your bank, or send us an e-transfer set up using the following information:

  1. Add a new contact or payee using the email "payments@thompson.ca”
  2. Be sure to select "Notify Contact by E-Mail” (or otherwise ensure your payment notification will be sent by email)
  3. Under "Messages” include your name and utility account number
  4. The answer for your security question should always be "Thompson"

NEW ACCOUNTS/MOVING IN OR OUT?

If you are moving out, call us at 204-677-7950 and let us know the date you will be moving. We do final readings every Friday. We also require a forwarding address to send the final bill to.

If you are moving in, we will ask that you fill in the Residential Customer Information Form and drop if off at City Hall or fax it to us at 204-677-7936. You can download the form here.

RENTAL PROPERTIES 

If a tenant is  responsible for paying the water bill as part of their rental agreement, landlords must ensure that the tenant completes the Residential Customer Information Form and drops it off at City Hall. You can download the form here.

During the winter, the City of Thompson offers a rebate to properties that must run their water to keep their lines from freezing (mainly homes located in the Burntwood trailer court). The rebate applies to the quarters of October 1-December 31 and January 1–March 31st. The rebates are based on your average use for the months of April 1 to September 30. Running your water after March 31 will affect your rebate.

The Bleeder Rebate must be pre-approved and no rebate will be applied by the City of Thompson prior to receiving the application.

To register for the Bleeder Rebate please send a letter, including your name, address, contact number and reason for the request to:

Utility Clerk 
226 Mystery Lake Road 
Thompson, MB R8N 1S6 
Email: utility@thompson.ca 
Fax: 204-677-7936

Make sure you are not running any water. Shine a flashlight on your meter (the meter will look blank until you do this). There are three screens which will come up: the one you are looking for will be the reading. Initially it will be the third screen, then the screens will alternate between rate and reading. If the numbers are changing, water is running.

If the meter shows a faucet symbol with a drip, this means it detects a leak. If the icon is flashing, the leak is intermittent. If it is not flashing, it is continuous. 

The majority of the leaks have been leaky toilets. To check you toilet follow the instructions below.

  1. Pour several drops of food colouring into the tank of your toilet;
  2. Do not flush for 20- 30 minutes
  3. Look at your toilet bowl: if the water has changed colour your toilet is leaking

The City of Thompson does not provide a “rebate” or “relief” for leaks. Property owners are 100% responsible for ensuring that plumbing and fixtures are in good working order.

The special service levy covers the cost of the repair to any water break more than 1 meter from a residential structure. The levy will cover the cost of:

  • Repairing the water, sewer or storm service lines
  • Backfilling the hole and leveling/seeding the ground
  • Replacing any public sidewalk and roads.

The owner will remain responsible for internal plumbing/ fixtures, repairs/replacement of private sidewalks, driveways, trees, decorative landscaping, shrubs or structures (including decks). All breaks less than 1 metre from the structure are considered part of the structure, and the cost for their repair remains the responsibility of the homeowner.

The special service includes residential properties and class 40 institutional properties with a one-inch water line or less. Commercial properties, rental complexes, apartment buildings and unserviced vacant lots are excluded.

The levy will be calculating using the prior year’s actual expense plus a 2% inflationary factor. It is estimated that there are 3,240 properties within the City of Thompson that are covered by the levy. This means the levy fluctuates up and down.

Why is the levy useful?

The average service line break repair costs roughly $6,000 to repair, and can cost up to $15, 000 depending on the complexity of excavation and repair work. The service levy helps reduce the risk of aging infrastructure to an individual homeowner by spreading the cost of repairs across the entire community.

The city provides service line break repairs, and the levy simplifies the repair process. Unlike private insurance costs, the levy does not go up and down based on your personal claim history. Repairs within the levy by-law parameters will also never be denied coverage.

Fee and Fine
Fee and Fine