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More than two years after Ottawa decided to change the way it bills residents for water, the first bills of the new system have arrived.

Some people are paying more and others pay less under the revised system. And those paying more — generally those who use the least water — are not happy.

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Now city officials have put out a memo to councillors defending the new system, calling it “more equitable” overall.

Still the memo says residents have been calling in growing numbers.

The new rates cover charges for the water supply, waste water and storm water, and took effect on April 1 — along with new billing system. On the same date, the 2019 rate increase of five per cent also took effect.

The controversial part is that while there is a charge based on the amount of water a customer uses, there are also fixed-rate charges for equipment that are the same for everyone. The city reasons that it costs the same to supply equipment no matter how much water a household uses.