Click the link to read the article on The Durango Herald website (Christian Burney). Here’s an excerpt:
October 20, 2025
Infrastructure funds teetering above red line
There is no way around it: The city of Durango must increase water and sewer rates next year and follow up with annual rate increases going forward, according to city officials. For water rates, the city proposes an average monthly increase of $2.80 for residential accounts and $16.76 for commercial accounts. For sewer rates, the city proposes an average monthly increase of $9.18 for residential accounts and $78.14 for commercial accounts. The city, which has a number of significant water infrastructure projects planned for the next decade – including a $35 million to $40 million replacement of the pipeline that delivers Durango’s drinking water – expects its water fund to be $3 million in the red by the end of 2030, officials said. The sewer fund requires a rate increase just to meet operational expenses, which are projected to exceed revenues next year…
The Public Works Department is recommending 10% and 20% increases to water and sewer rates, respectively, to be followed by annual increases yet to be determined. What residents should expect of annual rate increases will be informed by a rate study outlined in pending water and sewer master plans to be completed in 2027, said Bob Lowry, interim Public Works director…Had the city incrementally raised rates annually “since Day 1,” current rates would be significantly higher. If rates aren’t raised soon, larger increases will be necessary later on, and utility customers will feel them all the more in their pocketbooks. Lowry said it’s best practice to review water and sewer rates annually and to adjust them no less frequently than every other year.
