Northern Water took on the role of operating and maintaining the Colorado-Big Thompson Project in 1937. On Oct. 1, the water organization will increase the rates for municipalities and farmers.
Longmont receives roughly 12,000 units from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. It is only one source of water Longmont utilizes to bring water to the city.
Northern Water raised the open rate for municipal and industrial water use to $53.60 per acre-foot unit which is a 6% increase over 2023 prices.
According to Scott Rochat, public relations and marketing specialist for Longmont Power and Communications, the increase will have “no immediate impact on Longmont.”
In 2023, Longmont spent approximately $36.1 million on water through Northern Water. The 6% fee increase would equate to $39,000 in the city’s spending, according to Jeff Stahla, public information officer at Northern Water.
Stahla also said that if Longmont received water only from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, a household might see a 10-cent increase per month based on average use.
“But because Longmont’s portfolio is quite diverse and includes a substantial share of non-C-BT water, the impact is much less,” Stahla said.
In 2024, the city of Longmont will conduct a water rate study to evaluate its cost of service, Rochat said.
“The Northern Water adjustment will be one of many factors we consider in that evaluation, but it will not be a major driver of it,” Rochat said.
According to Stahla, the group that will see the largest impact from the increases will be farmers who hold shares in the project. Northern Water increased the open rate for irrigation use to $33 per acre-foot unit which is a 7.8% increase over 2023. This fee increase impacts the operations and maintenance costs, not the cost of the individual shares, Stahla said.
Around 70% of the 310,000 shares the Colorado-Big Thompson provides are held by municipalities. The remaining 30% are used for irrigation.
