Charging policies These can be established in a number of ways Key principle should be to ensure that water remains accessible and affordable to entire population Charging should be fair and equitable and encourage conservation of water Rates or pay-per-use systems may be employed Pay-for-use systems require the installation of water meters Rates system usually work on property values as a mechanism of determining ability to pay Can use systems which employ elements of both approaches with minimum amount supplied at a flat rate and extra consumption charged per use This protects poor whilst encouraging water conservation Problem is setting minimum to be supplied, although this should reflect health requirements Rate systems may use block rates or step rates Step rates employ increasing rates for increasing consumption and therefore promote conservation of water