Raw Water Dedication

All new development in Greeley must bring new raw water rights to the City. The Greeley Water & Sewer Board, through the Water Resource Division staff, sets the requirements for how much and which water rights can be used by the City to accommodate growth.

Residential Development

New residential development requires three acre feet of raw water per acre. This is based on gross acres, which includes detention ponds, open space and rights-of-way. Developers must dedicate the historical water rights used to irrigate the land being developed. Those water rights may be accepted by the City if they meet other criteria outlined in Water and Sewer Board resolutions and City ordinances.

Water rights purchased from other farms that are not directly associated with proposed developments cannot be accepted unless they are Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) units.

Developments that do not have water rights associated may make a cash-in-lieu of raw water rights payment. The cash-in-lieu rate is established annual by the Water and Sewer Board and is based on the average cost of all the water currently available for use by the City of Greeley plus storage cost.

Commercial Development

Commercial developments must supply water rights contingent on calculations based on the type of business, the square footage of the business area, and the square footage and type of landscaping. Multi-family developments are based on the number of units and landscaping. This establishes a service commitment that outlines the amount of water required for the project on an annual basis. 

Developments that do not have water rights associated may make a cash-in-lieu of raw water rights payment.

Raw Water Dedication Frequently Asked Questions

What is raw water?

Water in its natural state, prior to any treatment.

Why is raw water dedicated to the City?

The developers provide raw water in the form of water rights, so Greeley's water treatment plants will have water to process to meet the added demand from new customers.

What is required of the developer to dedicate raw water?

A developer should contact the Water & Sewer Services Coordinator with proposed development plans to receive relevant ordinances and restrictions and to provide information on how the raw water demand will be met for new developments.

What raw water does the City accept?

• Greeley Loveland System (Greeley- Loveland, Lake Loveland or Seven Lakes)
• Greeley Irrigation Company (GIC or Ditch No.3)
• Colorado Big Thompson (C-BT)

What is the current cash-in-lieu rate?

The cash-in-lieu rate is subject to change and is updated annually at the Water and Sewer Board meeting.