The City of Greeley is investing in the city’s future, acquiring new water storage, upgrading wastewater treatment facilities to meet changing regulations and working to eliminate flooding downtown and other areas of the city. These critical public infrastructure investments will cost more than $200 million the next several years.
The City takes its responsibility to provide safe, reliable, affordable water service very seriously. Doing so comes at a cost – one the city of Greeley has managed since 1888 when its first water treatment facility was commissioned. To Greeley residents, it will mean a roughly up to a $10- a-month utility rate increase in 2022 depending on their water use.
Residents can be proud of the way the city has invested its money historically, and we aim to keep it that way with the chosen projects to fund in 2022.
Those projects include:
Greeley, along with 11 other participants, is funding the construction of the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project. Project construction began this year for the 90,000 acre-foot water storage reservoir. The City of Greeley is putting forth $60 million of the $485.4 million construction cost, which includes building the tallest dam in Colorado at 350 feet. For Greeley, this will be enough water to supply at least 4,500 homes a year. Learn more about the construction here. Construction is expected to last four years. This is one reason why water rates are increasing by an average of $4.16 a month for residents in 2022.
New state regulations require municipalities reduce the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen in their wastewater effluent, which is the impetus behind a $4.22 a month rate adjustment for sanitary sewer services in 2022. That will pay for a $35.5 million regulatory compliance project to add basins and reroute water flow in the City’s Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility. The project will upgrade the site’s organic treatment capacity and ensure the city meets its permit conditions. Nitrogen and phosphorous are byproducts of human and agricultural waste, but when released back into rivers downstream of our use, the presence can result in algae growth, fish kill and permit violations.
Downtown Greeley was built before storm drainage was considered important, and the improvements that have been undertaken to date are insufficient to handle large rain events. As well, the Poudre River in west Greeley has been known to flood area residences during large rainstorms. The first segment of a multi-phase project to address downtown Greeley’s flooding issues will cost $16.4 million, beginning a 15-year, $65 million project that will add significant stormwater piping through downtown Greeley, a water quality pond, and an outfall. You’ll notice a $1.54 increase in your monthly stormwater fees to cover this and other critical stormwater projects.
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These major projects reflect Greeley’s ongoing commitment to maintaining and enhancing the City’s water, wastewater and stormwater systems. All of these upgrades improve the community by giving us more water storage, more water rights, enhancing Greeley infrastructure, protecting our rivers, and by fixing areas vulnerable to flooding. Greeley’s City Council and water leaders work diligently to keep utility rates affordable while still making critical investments in our public infrastructure. These and many other projects Greeley is undertaking will ensure that citizens will continue to have safe, reliable affordable utility services that meet their needs today and into the future.
2022 Utility Rates Frequently Asked Questions