Residents in the Rural Municipality of Rockwood, Manitoba, are seeing new water and sewer rates after the province combined two utility systems. The change affects customers in Balmoral and Gunton, and took effect July 1, 2026.
The Public Utilities Board of Manitoba approved the merger of the Balmoral Water and Wastewater Utility and the Gunton Water and Wastewater Utility into a single Rockwood Water and Wastewater Utility. The decision was released in Order 98/26 on June 25 and was posted on the municipal website on July 10.
For a standard home with a 5/8 inch meter, the quarterly minimum charge is now $128.75. That is lower than Balmoral’s old rate of $138.25 but an increase from Gunton’s previous $106.45. The rate covers up to 15 cubic metres of combined water and sewer use. Anything above that will cost $7.05 per cubic metre for the 2026 rate period.
Customers will see adjustments to the water and sewer rates themselves. In Balmoral, the cost of water per cubic metre climbed from $3.50 to $4.43, while the wastewater charge dropped from $4.25 to $2.62. Rates will change again on January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028.
The RM says merging the two utilities will cut down on extra paperwork and make billing simpler. The Balmoral system has supplied treated water to Gunton since late 2010, but they were run as separate operations until now. The new setup puts all Balmoral and Gunton customers under one system.
