Water Costs to Soar for Denver Residents in 2024
In a move that has caused outrage among Denver residents, the city's Board of Water Commissioners announced a hefty increase in water rates for 2024 during their recent meeting on Oct. 11. With over 1.5 million individuals relying on Denver Water for their water needs, this new rate hike is set to hit hard on hardworking families and individuals.
According to a statement released by Denver Water, the average customer will see an increase of $1.60 to $2.30 per month if they use the same amount of water as they did in the previous year. For a typical single-family residential household, this could mean an extra $20 to $30 on their already mounting water bill.
The fixed monthly charge for most residential customers, who make up 95% of all customers, is also skyrocketing to $18.40 per month, an increase of 50 cents from the previous year. And this comes on the heels of a 70-cent increase from 2022 to this year, once again burdening hardworking taxpayers.
So, why the sudden increase? According to Denver Water, this hike is necessary to fund various upgrades, projects, and repairs to keep the water system operational. These include a lead reduction program and a new treatment plant north of Golden that will clean a whopping 75 million gallons of water per day.
Denver Water has also pointed out that they do not make a profit or receive any tax dollars, instead relying solely on customer bills and fees for funds.
But while Denver Water may claim that these increases are essential for the maintenance of their system, many residents are wondering why they must bear the brunt of these costs. With neighboring suburbs like Centennial, Lakewood, and Wheat Ridge having to pay higher rates for water due to Denver's charter, it seems like the hardworking people of Denver are being used as cash cows once again.
To make matters worse, these new rates will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, giving residents little time to prepare for this sudden and significant increase in their water bills.