Water Rates, Policies & New Connections

Water Rates 

Chatham-Kent water rates are available on the Municipal website.

Deposit Policy

• $125.00 deposit required for tenants in Chatham-Kent
• $125.00 deposit required for owners in St Clair Estates Chatham/9480 Longwoods Rd and 452 Grand Ave E.
• Water LEAP Letter waives the $125.00 water deposit  

This deposit balance will remain on the water account for the length of the tenancy.

If moving from one service location to another within our service territory, deposits may be transferred if the account remains in the same name.

Occupancy Charges

Chatham-Kent customers with an existing Entegrus Electricity account will be subject to a $10 one-time water occupancy charge on their first bill.

Water Rates 

Water and wastewater rates are available on the City of St. Thomas website (PDF).

A section of customers in St. Thomas are billed and serviced by the Municipality of Central Elgin. Visit the Municipality of Central Elgin's website for water rates and related information.

Water Rates

Water and wastewater rates are available on Village of Newbury website.

For information regarding Newbury water rates, contact the Village of Newbury at (519) 693-4941.

To proceed with connecting to a curb box (valve at the property line of an existing service), please follow the steps below:

• Obtain a Water Permit from your respective Municipal Centre / City / Town
• Purchase water meter from your respective Municipal / City / Town Public Utilities Commission (PUC) / Public Works Department
• Request a Trench Inspection

Chatham-Kent Customers: 

• Contact us to install the water meter and transponder.
• Visit the Municipal webpage for additional water resources

St. Thomas Customers:

• Contact the City of St. Thomas for water meter and touch pad installation.

Strathroy Customers: 

• Contact the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc for water meter and touch pad installation. 

Newbury Customers

• Contact the Village of Newbury for water meter and touch pad installation.

All Customers: 

• Be sure to install Back Flow Preventers, and then connect to the Curb Box / turn water on.

If you are relocating your water meter, you may need to contact your respective Municipal / City / Town Public Utilities Commission (PUC) / Public Works Department once complete to ensure an accurate water meter reading. Contact a licensed plumber to perform this work. 

Chatham-Kent Customers: 

• Contact us to schedule an appointment to re-install the transponder. 

St. Thomas Customers:

• Contact the City of St. Thomas to schedule an appointment.

Strathroy Customers: 

• Contact the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc to schedule an appointment. 

Newbury Customers

• Contact the Village of Newbury to schedule an appointment. 

1. The best time to read a water meter to detect a leak is in the evening, when everyone has gone to bed. Make sure that you have turned off any faucets or appliances that may use water.
2. Locate the ‘flow indicator’ on the face of your water meter (usually a small red or black triangle or dial on the face of the meter). Write down the reading, avoid using any water until the next morning. 
3. Check the reading again in the morning, before anyone uses any water. If the number is higher than it was the evening before, you may have a leak.

If the indicator is turning, moving, or shaking, that is another indication you may have a leak. 

Where to check for leaks: 

• Toilets
• Faucets and valves
• Water softeners
• Furnace Humidifier
• Other indoor places
• Outdoor

Toilets are commonly responsible for water leaks. The Dye Test process below could help you determine if a toilet could be the source. If you cannot find the source, contact a plumber.

Dye Test Process

1. Clean your toilet bowl and tank, and remove any type of sanitizing product that changes the color of your water. Flush the toilet until the water in the tank and bowl looks clear.

2. Take the lid off the tank and set it aside in a safe place. Squeeze a few drops of food coloring into the tank so the water achieves a deep color. Do not flush the toilet.

3. Leave the toilet alone for 30 minutes, and don't allow anyone to use it.

4. Observe the water in the toilet bowl for any change in color resulting from the dyed water in the tank leaking into the bowl. If the bowl water is clear, there's no leak from the tank.

If the bowl water looks as if the dye has penetrated it, most likely your flapper valve needs to be replaced.

5. Add a few drops to the toilet bowl water after you've determined the tank doesn't leak.

6. Don't flush the toilet. Leave the water undisturbed for 30 minutes.

7. Wipe the entire exterior of the toilet with a dry, white paper towel.

8. Observe the paper towel for any color streaks as you wipe different areas of the toilet. Coloring around the base of the toilet could indicate a worn wax ring, while streaks from the underside of the tank could mean a leaky fill valve, spud washer or bolt gasket.

New and replacement bulk water fobs can be purchased at the Chatham-Kent PUC Admin Office at 325 Grand Avenue East or at any Municipal office.

Bulk water is billed twice per year (May and November). 

Visit the Municipality of Chatham-Kent's website for Bulk Water Station locations and applicable charges:

Chatham-Kent Bulk Water Information

The City of St Thomas provides bulk water to registered customers at their station located at 100 Burwell Rd, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3R8.

For more information, including a registration link, visit the City of St. Thomas.

MR = Meter Reading which means an actual meter read was retrieved.  In some cases, we are unable to retrieve a meter read, and your bill will state CE = Computer Estimate. There are multiple reasons as to why this may occur:

1. Physical access to touch pad water meter is sometimes inaccessible (i.e. locked gate).
2. Touch pad wire is damaged.
3. Technology required to retrieve a meter read is damaged.

If we are unable to retrieve a read, we will estimate your bill using historical averages for that specific time of year.

This means we were unable to retrieve a meter read. Please submit a water meter read by clicking here.

All properties are unique, usually, the water meter will be in your basement next to the shut off valve inside the home. Water meters could be in a utility room or crawl space, next to a sump pump or close to an exterior wall.