By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun
It’s time to take a second look at that monthly water bill: For some Coloradans, the cost of turning on the tap has been rising for decades, and experts say it is primed to keep climbing.
Water utility providers in Colorado are adding new services, adapting to increasingly stringent environmental regulations and facing looming repairs for aging pipelines and pumps. These providers don’t make a profit from their services, but they have had to hand down more costs to customers.
“Utilities know that some of their customers are making choices every month on which bills to pay,” said Melissa Elliott, executive vice president at Raftelis, a consulting firm focused on governments and utilities. “The service provided is really valuable. You can’t live without this. But for many families, it’s also expensive. That’s the conundrum that utilities are in.”
So what does this mean to you?