The Board of Directors Recommended at the November 14, 2022 Meeting that
Sanitary Sewer Fees and Water Surcharge Fees Will Not Be Increased in 2023
The Denver Water Surcharge Fee will be increased to $7.00 per Month per SFRE.
2023 Sanitary Sewer Billing
At the District’s November 14, 2021 meeting, the Board of Directors decided NOT to increase sanitary sewer fees for 2023. Sewer billing is determined by a 4-month total water usage between November 2022 and February 2023 based on Denver Water meter readings.
- The 2023 Annual Sanitary Sewer Rate is $16.60 per thousand gallons of water used from November 2022 through February 2023.
- The 2023 Residential Annual Minimum will be $229.00 and billed at $57.25 per quarter.
- The 2023 Commercial Annual Minimum will be $397.00 and billed at $99.25 per quarter.
- The billing cycle for 2023 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 2023 sewer billing rates include the consideration of the following expenses, plus the cost of billing and Operations and Maintenance charges.
- Payment of $641,174 ($1,435,177 paid in 2022) to Metro Water Recovery for 2023 annual sewage treatment charges.
- $175,000 is budgeted for 2023 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 Increase (Billed on Denver Water Bill beginning January 1, 2023)
There will be an increase in the water surcharge for 2022\3. BCWSD is a water distributor of Denver Water under a Read and Bill Service Agreement. The District will collects a surcharge of $7.00 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 was increased from $6.00 per month per SFRE in 2022. This was the first increase to the water surcharge since 2018 due to the rising costs of the operations and maintenance of the water system.
The 2023 Water Surcharge is also based upon consideration of the following O&M expenses:
- $75,000 is budgeted for 2023 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 $437,000 is budgeted for engineering and 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 2023, the District is budgeting $1.69 million for capital improvements for the District owned water and sanitary sewer systems. Planned projects include the Garland Street Sewer Extension, and a water capital study that will determine the condition of a ductile iron pipe (DIP) water line. 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.
In 2023, 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.