{"id":15583,"date":"2025-11-21T22:45:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-town-board-passes-water-sewer-fee-increases\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:49:17","slug":"dolores-town-board-passes-water-sewer-fee-increases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-town-board-passes-water-sewer-fee-increases\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores Town Board passes water, sewer fee increases"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Galloping
Galloping Goose Historical Society of Dolores between north Fourth and Fifth streets is central to various town businesses, restaurants and coffeehouses. A series of rate increases will fund the replacement of water infrastructure on First through Sixth streets. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Dolores has approved water and sewer rate increases to replace 75-year-old water lines and secure low-interest financing for the overhaul.<\/p>\n

After a public hearing, the Dolores Board of Trustees adopted new rates through 2030 to finance Phase 2 of the $4.3 million main line replacement project along First through Sixth streets.<\/p>\n

Officials have repeatedly described the work as urgent and overdue, citing frequent breaks that sometimes leave residents and businesses without water for hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been kicking this can down the road for literally 75 years, both rate increases and replacing these lines. So, the ones around Sixth Street and farther up First Street are the really ones,\u201d said Town Manager Leigh Reeves.<\/p>\n

The hearing was held during the board\u2019s 5:30 p.m. regular meeting Nov. 10 at Town Hall, after weeks of budget and water-rate discussions this summer and fall. The most recent increase added a $10 flat-rate hike in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a painful adjustment, but I think we can all see it\u2019s pretty necessary,\u201d town treasurer and clerk Kelley Unrein told the board at an October workshop. Officials said higher rates are tied to Dolores\u2019 ability to qualify for a State Revolving Fund loan for Phase 2. A full system overhaul could cost $14 million later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it\u2019s not fun, we know no one wants to pay more money, but if we don\u2019t do a water-rate increase, and consistently keep it on schedule, we can\u2019t get the loan, keep the loan and it\u2019s going to cost taxpayers significantly more money over the lifetime of this project,\u201d Unrein said.<\/p>\n

New prices apply Jan. 1<\/div>\n

Beginning Jan. 1, water rates for in-town customers using 5,000 gallons will increase from $44.34 to $47, a 6% hike or $2.66 monthly. For customers outside town, the base rate will rise from $58.26 to $61.76.<\/p>\n

Additional increases are scheduled: 5% in 2027, 4% in 2028 and 3% in both 2029 and 2030. Those percentages apply to base rates and tiered-usage charges.<\/p>\n

Sewer rates will rise in 2026, with in-town customers paying $39.50, up from $38.35. Out-of-town rates will go from $60.33 to $62.14. Sewer charges will then rise automatically by 3% each year from 2027 through 2030.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, think about what they\u2019re made of. What was the technology 75 years ago, right?\u201d Reeves said. \u201cSo, we probably won\u2019t do another phase for quite a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current system is a spur system, where the main line runs along Central Avenue and water lines branch off, creating dead ends.<\/p>\n

Reeves said the goal is to move toward a closed system and eliminate dead-end spurs. A closed system improves water pressure and efficiency. Eliminating dead ends creates circulation and makes the water a better product, Reeves added. She stressed this is primarily a water-quality project.<\/p>\n

\n

Dolores water and sewer rates, 2025-2030CategoryCurrent rateNew ratePercent changeEffective dateWater in town, 5,000 gallons$44.34$47.006%Jan. 1, 2026Water in town, 5,000 gals.$44.34$54.4522.8%2030Water out of town, 5,000 gals.$58.26$61.766%Jan. 1, 2026Water out of town, 5,000 gals.$58.26$71.5422.8%2030Sewer in town$38.35$39.503%2026Sewer in town$38.35$44.4615.9%2030Sewer out of town$60.33$62.143%2026Sewer out of town$60.33$69.9415.9%2030<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Seniors still see discount but bills will rise<\/div>\n

During the hearing, some residents asked how higher rates will affect older residents, who receive a discount. Reeves said when the town implemented the $10 flat-rate last year, seniors were exempt. Starting in January, seniors will see about a 4% increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be an increase for them,\u201d Reeves said, adding that the discounted structure seniors receive is still applied.<\/p>\n

Dolores prepares bids, grants and loan papers<\/div>\n

\u201cThis is a project where in some places we are replacing 75-year lines and in some places, 50-year lines,\u201d Reeves told board members at the October workshop, pointing to recent ruptures near Ninth Street and Hillside Avenue that forced temporary shutdowns.<\/p>\n

Dead-end lines, she added, can complicate fire protection by limiting flow to hydrants and can lead to boil-water notices when breaks occur.<\/p>\n

She also stressed the cost of waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could do the whole project now, I would, but I can\u2019t,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause now it\u2019s $14 million. In another 10 years, which is probably when we do the next phase, it\u2019s probably going to be $24 million. It\u2019s only going to get more expensive. It\u2019s not ever going to get cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SRF loan requires Dolores to maintain a 110% debt service coverage ratio \u2013 meaning the water fund must bring in at least $1.10 in dependable annual revenue for every $1 owed in debt.<\/p>\n

Reeves said the town\u2019s disadvantaged community status has recently been recertified, which will help Dolores secure a lower-interest loan and could lead to a portion of the debt being forgiven once the project is underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur annual loan payment on a 30-year loan is going to be somewhere around $100,000 a year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The town has already received a 50% match from the Department of Local Affairs for the roughly $500,000 design portion. Dolores\u2019 share of that cost will be rolled into the larger loan.<\/p>\n

Reeves said engineering for Phase 2 is about 90% complete. Town staff are preparing request-for-proposal documents now, with a goal of applying for the SRF loan in January and seeking additional energy impact grant money.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are shooting for next spring to start this project,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cThat\u2019s the whole idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bid documents will likely go out in January or February, she said. Contractors will tour the project, submit bids and qualifications, and town staff will recommend a contractor to the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always about who\u2019s the cheapest,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s about most qualified. Most of the time, it\u2019s a combination of those two things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final contracts will come back to trustees for approval in a public meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

help fund a $4.3 million upgrade to aging pipes from Sixth to First streets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15583"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19734,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15583\/revisions\/19734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15583"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}