As the Upper Thompson Sanitation District works to ensure a sustainable future, we want to inform you of changes that will affect our customers in 2025. The Board of Directors and staff understand that rate changes can be concerning and want to communicate why these adjustments are necessary and how they will impact you.
The District is committed to keeping rates as affordable as possible while undertaking necessary repairs and improvements to provide exceptional service for our customers. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support as we take these important steps to secure a sustainable future.
Why Changes are Needed
- These changes are critical to fund essential upgrades and repairs, including the new Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvements Project. This enables the District’s infrastructure to collect and treat wastewater in compliance with future water quality regulations.
- The rate changes also position the Board of Directors to consider paying loans for the new water reclamation facility ahead of schedule, potentially saving the District and our customers $20-$30 million over the life of the loans. This decision represents a financially responsible approach that will ultimately benefit all customers.
- The District’s expenses are funded exclusively through rates and fees, rather than taxes. The rate increase will support operations and finance the necessary upgrades to maintain resilient and reliable infrastructure, ensuring the community’s water quality and environment protection for the future.
- For over 50 years, the District has provided cost-effective wastewater collection and treatment. The rate changes ensure the continued protection of the health of our community, environment, waterways and wildlife.
2025 Service Rates for Non-Metered Customers
At the September 17, 2024 regular board meeting, the UTSD Directors voted to increase service rates by 10.5% for 2025. This will raise the annual base rate for one Single Family Equivalent (SFE) from $865 in 2024 to $956 in 2025, or by $7.58 per month. This rate adjustment affects all District customers.
2025 New Base Rate Alignment and Data Collection Fee for Metered Customers
For metered customers, the bill for wastewater service is based on the Town of Estes Park’s metered water usage data at their property. Historically, metered customers have been billed using quarterly metered water usage data, along with an access fee assessed and billed quarterly. This methodology does not accurately assess the minimum base rate allocated to every customer connected to the wastewater system. The updated billing methodology for metered customers ensures fairness across our customer base and aligns with District Rules and Regulations, ultimately providing equitable service for all.
Starting in 2025, metered customers will have their base rate aligned with the annual single-family equivalent (SFE) base rate. For the year 2025, the base rate will be $956 annually, invoiced at $239 per quarter. This adjustment ensures parity across all customer classifications, ensuring that all customers pay the minimum base rate. In addition to the quarterly base rate, metered customers will incur a metered charge of $16.96 per 1,000 gallons of water used beyond 14,052 gallons per quarter.
In 2025, the District will rename the “access fee” to “data collection fee” to more accurately describe its purpose. The data collection fee is a fixed base fee applied to each metered connection to cover the costs associated with collecting and processing meter data and billing. In 2025, the data collection fee will be $12.15 per month for each metered connection.
Metered customers will see on their bill the quarterly base rate, the metered rate, and a data collection fee as highlighted in the following chart:
| Classification of Customer | 2025 Service Charge |
|---|---|
| Non-Metered Customer | $956.00 / year / SFE |
| Metered Customer Base Rate | $956.00 (1 SFE annually); Billed quarterly = $239 |
| Metered Customer (Metered Rate) | $16.96 / 1,000 gallons >14,052 gallons / quarter |
| Metered Data Collection Fee | $12.15 / per connection / month |
Customer Letters
If you did not receive a letter and believe you should have, please fill out this form and we will make sure this issue is corrected. Thank you for your understanding.