The Board of Directors Recommended at the November 8, 2021 Meeting that
Sanitary Sewer Fees and Water Surcharge Fees Will Not Be Increased in 2022.
In 2022, Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District will continue work on projects that are part of our Water and Sanitary Sewer Master Plan. The District is staying on top of the District’s operations and preventative maintenance, as well as planning for the upgrades needed to keep the water and sanitary sewer systems running. BCWSD reviews the sewer rates and the water surcharge amount each year with consideration of the rising costs of operations, maintenance and replacement of the infrastructure in order to determine if a rate increase is necessary. The District will continue to maintain and build reserves for future repair and replacement of aging infrastructure.
2022 Sanitary Sewer Billing
At the District’s November 8, 2021 meeting, the Board of Directors decided NOT to increase sanitary sewer fees for 2022. Sewer billing is determined by a 4-month total water usage between November 2021 and February 2022 based on Denver Water meter readings.
- The 2022 Annual Sanitary Sewer Rate is $16.60 per thousand gallons of water used from November 2021 through February 2022.
- The 2022 Residential Annual Minimum will be $229.00 and billed at $57.25 per quarter.
- The 2022 Commercial Annual Minimum will be $397.00 and billed at $99.25 per quarter.
- The billing cycle for 2022 will continue to be billed quarterly by dividing the annual bill into quarterly installments.
If you have a question or concern about your sanitary sewer bill or need to set up a payment plan, please contact the District office by phone at 303-986-3442 or e-mail at bearcreekwater@bearcreekwater.org.
The 2022 sewer billing rates include the consideration of the following expenses, plus the cost of billing.
- Payment of $1,054,929 ($789,159 paid in 2021) to Metro Water Recovery for 2022 annual sewage treatment charges.
- $145,000 is budgeted for 2022 for Operations and Maintenance for the sewer system and provides for inspection of all appurtenances to the public sewer system every three years.
- An additional amount of $240,000 is budgeted for follow-up maintenance and repair work as indicated from the sewer system inspections
2022 Water Surcharge (Billed on Denver Water Bill)
There will be NO increase in the water surcharge for 2022. BCWSD is a water distributor of Denver Water under a Read and Bill Service Agreement. The District collects a surcharge of $6.00 per single-family residential equivalent (SFRE) on the Denver Water billing to contribute towards the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the water distribution lines owned by the District. This surcharge amount has not increased since it was implemented in 2018.
The 2022 Water Surcharge is based upon consideration of the following O&M expenses:
- $75,000 is budgeted for 2022 Operations and Maintenance for the water system and provides for inspection of all appurtenances to the public water system every two years
- An additional amount of $160,000 is budgeted for follow-up maintenance and repair work as indicated from the water system inspections
If you have a question or concern about your water bill, please contact the Denver Water Customer Care Team at 303-893-2444, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Information about water rates can be found on the Denver Water website at www.denverwater. org.
The Board of Directors has identified and engaged in a deliberative process to prepare the budget annually and considers the following factors in the process of setting appropriate water and sanitary sewer rates:
- The District engaged an external consultant to perform the 2019 Rate Study Update, provided by Raftelis Financial Consultants. The District implemented a financial planning tool in 2020, developed by Gemsbok Consulting.
- Operations and Maintenance needs of the District-owned water and sanitary sewer systems which includes such projects as replacement or relining of sanitary sewer lines and the major repair or replacement of water distribution lines.
- The District’s Master Plan which was updated in 2018.
- Capital Improvement Projects and Long-Term Planning
- Historical considerations
Capital Improvement Projects
In 2021, the BCWSD spent $250,000 from reserves to pay for capital improvement projects for the District’s water and sanitary sewer systems. In 2022, the District is budgeting $1.49 million for capital improvements for the District owned water and sanitary sewer systems. Planned projects include the construction of Phase 3 of the Hodgson/Wesley water line and the Garland Street Sewer Extension. The District will also participate in the cost of the CIPP sewer Lining of the Green Mountain Outfall line for the District’s share of the outfall line shared with Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District.