Each day, the City of Fredericton’s Water & Sewer Utility provides customers with clean, safe drinking water on demand. It treats thousands of litres of wastewater, ensuring the treatment of the wastewater exceeds national standards.
Drinking water is sent to customers around Fredericton from 10 major production wells. The water passes through one of two water treatment plants, before flowing through an extensive water distribution system covering 433 km.
Fredericton’s sanitary sewer network consists of a system of sewers designed to collect and convey household and industrial wastewater from urban areas to a wastewater treatment plant. The majority of sewage collected is treated at the Barker Street treatment plant. One smaller treatment facility also exists to treat wastewater in the Garden Creek area of the city.
Budget 2026: Water & Sewer Utility
On October 6, City Council was presented a 2026 Water and Sewer Budget of $25.6 million in revenue, with $13.9 million allocated for operations and $11.6 million for capital investments. This proposed budget, a 5% increase from 2025 rates, addresses aging infrastructure, inflationary pressures, and the demands of a growing population.
Formal approval of the City budget takes place in November. If this budget is approved, the following changes will take effect on April 1, 2026:
• Quarterly service charge increases from $72.30 to $77.50
• Commodity charge per cubic meter rises from $1.02 to $1.04.
• Bulk water rate increases from $2.51 to $2.55.
• Private hydrant fee increases from $310.00 + HST to $373.00 + HST.
• Fire protection fee increases from $150.00 + HST to $193.50 + HST.
If approved, Fredericton will continue to have one of the lowest water and sewer rates in New Brunswick. With the increase, a typical household will pay approximately $2.80 per day for clean, safe, drinking water and environmentally sound wastewater treatment.