FAQs
- Ensure secure water sources and protect the watershed
- Provide a financial mechanism to ensure current and future assets are adequate to meet community water supply and service needs
- Balance current needs and supply and future potential needs and acquisitions
- The Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project via Horsetooth Reservoir
- The Cache la Poudre River basin, including the Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir system
What's a WSR?
A Water Supply Requirement (WSR) is a development fee collected to pay for the water necessary to serve either a new development or redeveloped non-residential properties that require a larger tap. The fees can vary based on a development’s characteristics (e.g., square footage, business type, number of bedrooms). Developers pay the fees during the building permit process. WSR fees do not apply to redevelopment unless the property needs more water than is currently allotted.
Current WSR fees are $68,200 per acre-foot.
WSR fees:
What is the relationship between development fees and customer utility rates?
Utilities is a cost-of-service-based, non-profit utility provider. The two main revenue sources for Utilities’ water fund include monthly utility rates and development fees (including WSR). Monthly rates pay for annual operation and maintenance, customer service and administrative costs, capital replacement projects, and investments in projects that enhance the water distribution system. Development fees help Utilities recover costs for investments made both in the past (e.g., infrastructure that may have been oversized to meet needs at the time) and for future expansion. Together, rates and fees ensure customers receive reliable, high-quality water.
Fee changes, along with changes to development or redevelopment activity within Utilities’ service area, can impact the need for future rate increases. If City Council adopts the recommended WSR fee of $63,800/acre-foot, it is projected that Utilities will collect roughly $4.5 million less in development fee revenue by 2065 compared to the current fee of $68,200. This is a decrease of 6.5%, which would require roughly a half-percent increase in customer rates to recoup the difference. A change to the WSR fee may also impact funding in the near term for projects like the Halligan Water Supply Project.
What's an allotment?
A water allotment is an annual amount of water that a non-residential (commercial and irrigation-only) tap can use in a year. Generally, Utilities establishes the allotment amount based on development fees paid to Utilities when the tap is created. If the account uses more water than its allotment size, Utilities bills a surcharge. If a customer consistently goes over, and they want to purchase a larger allotment, they can pay WSR fees or provide City water certificates and credits.
Utilities doesn't set water allotments for residential accounts (e.g., single-family homes, apartments, condos).
What's an EWU surcharge?
A customer receives an Excess Water Use surcharge if they exceed their water allotment. Currently, the surcharge is $16.67 for every 1,000 gallons exceeded. Utilities staff is proposing to decrease the surcharge to $15.59 for every 1,000 gallons in 2025. The surcharge amount correlates to the WSR fee.
How do I know if I have an allotment?
You can call Utilities at 970‑416‑4268 or sign up for our free monitoring service, MyWater. There, you can look up your account details, including your allotment status.
What kinds of accounts are considered non-residential?
All commercial, industrial, public entity, group housing, nursing homes, fraternities, hotels, motels, commonly-owned areas, including HOA common spaces, and irrigation accounts.
Where does Fort Collins Utilities get its water?
Utilities' manages drinking water from two sources:
The amount of water Utilities receives from Horsetooth Reservoir and the Poudre River varies seasonally and year to year, but we typically use more Horsetooth than Poudre water.
To find your water service area, click here.