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According to budget documents, Metro’s overall spending will increase by 6.8 per cent next year, to $757.5 million from $709.2 million. Providing water and handling liquid waste will make up more than 70 per cent of the expenditures.

Costs will continue to increase by around seven to eight per cent until 2022, when they are projected to reach just over $1 billion.

Metro’s revenues — most of which come from water sales, sewer levies and solid waste tipping fees — are projected to rise by 6.8 per cent in 2018.

Phil Trotzuk, operations and financial planning manager for Metro, said there’s “a perfect storm” now in terms of capital expenditures and utilities.

Major liquid waste projects are ramping up, including construction of a new sewage treatment plant on the North Shore, while other infrastructure is being expanded to deal with growth, or being replaced, maintained or upgraded because it is aging. There are also some major water projects on the horizon.

“Those things are all coming together and I think that’s why you’re seeing significant dollars,” Trotzuk said.

The cost of water, sewer and solid waste services show up for homeowners through their municipal utility bills. The charge for running the regional district is on homeowners’ annual property tax bills.

Developers will also share in the cost of expanding sewage infrastructure thanks to a proposed increase in the liquid waste development cost charge, which is applied to new developments.