Rates and Fees

The Greeley Water and Sewer Department continues to work to keep costs as low as possible while doing what is necessary to provide our community with a secure and reliable supply of water and sewer services that are effective and efficient. Greeley Water and Sewer is a user-pay enterprise. That means that all of the money we have to spend on our system comes from what our customers pay us in water fees and what developers pay us to tap into our system. No tax revenues go to the water or sewer system. Below is an explanation of Greeley’s monthly water and sanitary sewer rates.

For more specific account billing information contact the Finance Department at 970-350-9720 or visit the Finance Department's utility billing page. You can also pay your water bill online.

Current Water and Sewer Rates
Purchase of New Water & Sewer Taps
Plant Investment Fees
Raw Water Dedication

2012 Water and Sewer Rates
Effective January 1, 2012

Greeley’s water and sanitary sewer customers are billed every month. Your monthly bill consists of fixed service charges and consumption charges for every 1,000 gallons of water used or sewage treated. Sewer charges vary based upon customer classes, or how much system capacity the customer uses. For instance, a restaurant puts more load on the wastewater treatment plant than does a single family residence and, therefore, pays a higher rate. Water customers who are outside the City limits pay a higher rate for service because they did not help pay for the original system construction.

Water UseCharge per 1,000 Gallons

Inside City Residential

$3.56

Inside City Commercial

$3.22

Inside City Large Volume

$2.44

Outside City Residential

$7.68

Outside City Commercial

$7.49

Non-Potable Service

$2.49

Fixed Monthly Water Service Charge

Meter Size (inches)

Inside City Limits

Outside City Limits

3/4 or 5/8

$10.00

$10.50

1

$10.36

$10.86

1 1/2

$14.55

$15.23

2

$16.24

$17.05

3

$51.52

$53.96

4

$60.67

$63.55
6 $77.33 $80.97

Non-Potable Service

$16.24

N/A

Wastewater Use Charge per 1,000 Gallons
(Charges for residential customers are based on winter water use.)

Single Family Rate

$1.87

Multi-Family Rate

$2.11

Commercial and Industrial Rates

Commercial and Industrial rates depend on the type of customer; (e.g. whether the customer operates a restaurant, car wash or mortuary, etc.) These rates are based on how much and how contaminated the wastewater is for each customer group. View the chart below for more information.


Fixed Monthly Wastewater Charge

Single Family Rate

$11.55

Multifamily Rate

$11.55 per sewer connection

Commercial and Industrial Rate

$11.55 per sewer connection

Examples of Water and Sewer Billings

Residential customer with a ¾-inch water tap located inside the City:
Assume January usage is 4,000 gallons. The water portion of the bill is $24.24 (consists of $10 service charge plus $14.24 for usage). The sewer portion of the bill is $19.03 (consists of $11.55 service charge plus $7.48 for usage).

The total January bill for water and sewer service is $43.27.

Assume July usage is 30,000 gallons, including lawn watering. The water portion of the bill is $116.80 (consists of $10 service charge plus $106.80 for usage). Residential customers are not charged sewer charges for water used to irrigate landscaping; therefore, the sewer portion of the bill is based upon the winter meter readings obtained in either January or February. Once winter usage is established, it remains constant until this cycle is repeated the following year. The sewer portion of the bill is $19.03 (based upon the meter reading in January and February).

The total July bill for water and sewer service is $135.89.

Commercial Class I customer with a ¾-inch water tap inside the City:
Assume January usage is 4,000 gallons. The water portion of the bill is $22.88 (consists of $10 service charge plus $12.88 for usage). The sewer portion of the bill is $19.99 (consists of $11.55 service charge plus $8.44 for usage).

The total January bill for water and sewer service is $42.87.

Assume July usage of 15,000 gallons. The water portion of the bill is $58.30 (consists of $10 service charge plus $48.30 for usage). Commercial customers pay sewer charges on all water used on site; these sites typically do not have large turf areas to irrigate. The sewer portion of the bill is $43.20 (consists of $11.55 service charge plus $31.65 for usage).

The total July bill for water and sewer service is $101.50.

back to top

Charges for a New Water or Sewer Tap

Water and the capacity to deliver drinking water and collect and treat wastewater are valuable commodities in Greeley. New connections to the water and sewer system create additional demands on those systems. Growth pays its own way by supplying the raw water, paying plant investment fees, and building the water and sewer lines in a new development. “Raw water” in the form of water rights is provided by the developer so the filter plants have water to process and supply to new customers. The City uses “plant investment fees” to pay for expanded treatment plant capacity. Water and sewer lines in a new development are given to the City for operation and maintenance.

New residential development must supply three acre-feet of raw water for every acre of land in the development. For small developments, a payment of cash-in-lieu of water rights may be accepted. The cash-in-lieu rate changes periodically to reflect the price of Colorado-Big Thompson water. Commercial development must supply raw water in proportion to the size of the water tap needed. For more information, please contact the Water & Sewer Services Coordinator at (970) 350-9810.

Plant Investment Fees

Plant Investment Fees or PIF's are calculated by tap size, except for multi-family units. PIF's for apartments, town homes, condominiums, and mobile homes are determined by the number of living units in the structure.

An individual structure that contains more than one living unit may be served by a single master tap, subject to provisions of the City's Multiple Living Unit Service policy. The Plant Investment Fee is determined by the number of living units in the structure. Refer to the table below that lists the maximum number of units that can by served by a specific-sized master tap.

This fee will not apply when an existing non-residential building is converted to residential use, if a professional architect or engineer certifies that the existing tap is sufficient to support the intended use.

2011 Plant Investment Fees Based on Tap Size
Effective March 1, 2011

Water Tap Size

Water PIF
Inside City

Sewer PIF
Inside City

Water PIF
Outside City*

Sewer PIF
Outside City*

3/4"

$10,700

$4,600

$16,000

$4,600

1"

$17,800

$7,600

$26,800

$7,600

1 ½"

$35,600

$15,200

$53,400

$15,200

2"

$57,000

$24,400

$85,400

$24,400

3"

$124,700

$53,400

$187,000

$53,400

4"

$213,700

$91,600

$320,600

$91,600

6"

$445,200

$190,800

$667,900

$190,800

2011 Plant Investment Fees Based on Residential Units

 

Water PIF
Inside City

Sewer PIF
Inside City

Water PIF
Outside City*

Sewer PIF
Outside City*

Multifamily Per Unit

$5,350

$2,300

$8,000

$2,300

* Note, new service outside the City requires City Council approval.

2012 Plant Investment Fees Based on Tap Size
Effective March 1, 2012

Water Tap Size

Water PIF
Inside City

Sewer PIF
Inside City

Water PIF
Outside City*

Sewer PIF
Outside City*

3/4"

$12,000

$4,800

$18,000

$4,800

1"

$20,100

$8,000

$30,150

$8,000

1 ½"

$40,100

$15,900

$60,150

$15,900

2"

$64,100

$25,400

$96,150

$25,400

3"

$140,400

$55,700

$210,600

$55,700

4"

$240,600

$95,400

$360,900

$95,400

6"

$501,200

$198,800

$751,800

$198,800

2011 Plant Investment Fees Based on Residential Units

 

Water PIF
Inside City

Sewer PIF
Inside City

Water PIF
Outside City*

Sewer PIF
Outside City*

Multifamily Per Unit

$6,000

$2,400

$9,000

$2,400

 

Maximum Number of Units Per Tap

Water Tap Size

Maximum Number of Units

3/4"

2

1"

4

1 ½"

10

2"

25

3"

45

4"

90

6"

170

Once raw water and plant investment fees are satisfied, the Water & Sewer Department drills the tap and sets the new meter (see costs listed below). For details, please contact the Water and Sewer Services Coordinator at (970) 350-9810. Connection from the curb stop valve or the sewer main to the building is the owner's responsibility.

Residential and Commercial Meter Fees

Tap Size

5/8" - 3/4"

1"

1 1/2"

2"

3"

Cost

$262

$364

$1,021

$1,143

$5,027

Contact the Water & Sewer Services Coordinator at (970) 350-9810 for larger sizes or special applications.


Water Installation Costs

3/4"

1"

1 1/2"

2"

4"- 12"

$170

$185

$260

$345

$450

A City of Greeley crew will tap the water main and install a corporation stop. No excavation or backfill is included in this price. Contractor will supply appropriate saddle when required. Special installations require estimates prior to installation.


Sewer Installation Costs

4"

6"

4" to 6" taps on 15" or larger mains

$225

$235

$350

For sanitary sewer taps, City will tap main and install the saddle only. Taps outside the city limits and special installations will require estimates prior to installation.


Non-Potable Plant Investment Fee
Plant Investment Fees for non-potable service shall be based on the cost of the system construction to provide non-potable service. The Plant Investment Fee will be the pro rata share of the non-potable system construction, based on irrigated acreage, as determined by agreement. If the non-potable system has not yet been constructed and construction costs are not known, the Plant Investment Fee is set at $11,000 per acre of irrigated turf.

Inspection Fees for New Water & Sewer Mains
An inspection fee of $2.70 per lineal foot is required for all new potable water non-potable water mains, sewer mains, and new fire mains, in addition to all new fire line installations in public rights-of way.


back to top

Commercial Sewer Rates
Effective January 1, 2012

Sewer customers are billed every month. The monthly bill has a fixed service charge ($11.55) and a consumption charge applied to every 1,000 gallons of water used. Consumption charges are different for the customer classes listed below, depending on how much system capacity the customer uses. (e.g., usage attributed to restaurants, car washes, or mortuaries, etc.) Rates are based on the volume and the strength of the wastewater. For classification information, please contact the Industrial Pretreatment staff at (970) 350-9363.

Irrigation exemption: if a customer owns and waters a lawn 15,000 square feet or more in size, the charge to that customer shall be calculated using the water use of that customer for their immediately preceding winter billing period. This decrease in commercial lawn size from 20,000 square feet cited in prior years shall not be applied retroactively.

Commercial Rate Class

Types of Commercial Properties Applicable

Sanitary Sewer Rates

Class I

Applicable to: car washes, cleaners, laundromats, schools, colleges, churches, retail stores, offices, beauty shops, financial institutions, membership organizations without dining facilities, service stations (without repair), motels (without dining) and bed and breakfasts which provide a continental breakfast.

$2.11 per thousand gallons.

Class II

Applicable to: bars and taverns (without dining), service stations (with repair), animal clinics, hospital/convalescent homes, coffee shops, photo finishing, light manufacturing, retail stores (with dining), convenience stores and bed and breakfasts which cook a daily breakfast.

$2.98 per thousand gallons.

Class III

Applicable to: restaurants, hotels (with dining), bars and taverns (with dining), membership organizations (with dining).

$3.83 per thousand gallons.

Class IV

Applicable to: food markets, butchers, bakers and food manufacturing.

$4.68 per thousand gallons.

Class V

Applicable to: mortuaries and miscellaneous heavy commercial manufacturing.

$5.46 per thousand gallons.

Industrial

Applicable to: dairies, prepared food manufacturers, industrial laundries, large volume printers, electrical power generators and other industrial user.

Determined by type of water use.

Commercial Contract Rate

Applicable to: commercial and industrial users which do not receive City water. The administrative authority, with the approval of the City Council, will contract with such users for sanitary sewer service.

back to top