Water Rate Shake-Up: How Eagle River's 2026 Pricing Changes Impact Your Bill and Conservation Efforts

Eagle River Water & Sanitation District Announces 2026 Rate Adjustments

The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District and Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority boards have officially approved their 2026 water and wastewater rates, with changes designed to support water conservation while maintaining infrastructure reliability.

The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District has set new water and wastewater rates for 2026.

Key Changes for Residential Customers

For a typical residential customer, the combined water and wastewater base rate increase is 7%. More than half of this increase is allocated to capital improvement projects aimed at ensuring the infrastructure system remains safe and reliable for all users.

Tiered Rate Structure Updates

The boards have implemented significant updates to the tiered water use rates, creating a system that rewards conservation while penalizing excessive consumption:

• Efficient users in the lower tiers will see modest increases. For example, residential customers in tier one will see an increase of approximately one-fortieth of one cent per gallon.

• High-consumption users in tiers four and five will face more substantial changes, with rate increases of 10% and 20%, respectively.

• Across all customer types, those with the highest water consumption will see increases ranging from 10% to 71%, reflecting the district's commitment to responsible water use and efforts to curb wasteful consumption that strains community resources.

District Context and Infrastructure

The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District operates the sixth-largest water infrastructure system in Colorado despite serving a relatively small year-round population, highlighting the importance of maintaining this critical infrastructure.

Leadership Perspective

"We were very intentional with our 2026 rate package," said Siri Roman, district general manager and CEO. "Customers who use water responsibly will see minimal increases. However, there will be significant cost impacts for customers who use water excessively."

Customer Communication and Support

In November, the district sent each customer a personalized mailer outlining the rate changes, which took effect on December 1. Customers with questions about the 2026 rates can contact district customer service at 970-477-5451.

The district also offers a program to help high-use customers reduce their water consumption. Any customer in tier five may reach out to the district to receive a free home water use assessment by staff. Interested customers can email conservation@erwsd.org.

Additional Resources

The full 2026 rate schedule is available at ERWSD.org/ERWSD/Customers/Rates for customers who want to review the complete details of the new pricing structure.