Fort Collins-Loveland Water District

What Fort Collins-Loveland Water District does

Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) is a Title 32 Special District in Colorado that provides water treatment and distribution services to more than 67,000 customers across approximately 60 square miles of Northern Colorado, encompassing parts of Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Windsor, and Larimer County. The District operates since 1961 and is governed by an elected five-member Board of Directors. Its core technical infrastructure consists of distribution mains, pump stations, storage tanks, pressure zones, hydrants, and customer meters, with finished water sourced from the jointly owned 68 MGD Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant (operated as the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority with East Larimer County Water District and North Weld County Water District), the City of Fort Collins water treatment facility, and a diversified portfolio spanning the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, North Poudre Irrigation Company, Divide Canal and Reservoir Company, Windsor Reservoir Company, and the Josh Ames ditch. The District maintains 95% system efficiency through active leak detection and repair and has installed a hydro turbine at the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant enabling near-carbon-neutral operations.

The District's business model is built on regulated monthly water service rates comprising a fixed base fee plus tiered volumetric charges, with a $1.50 per-thousand-gallon water resource surcharge on commercial accounts and a cost-of-service pricing model that charges higher rates to customer classes placing greater demand on the system. Tap fees for new development connections, set by meter size, lot size, and a climate contingency factor, fund growth-related infrastructure. A 10% rate increase took effect for 2026 following an annual independent rate study. Beyond core water delivery, FCLWD generates customer goodwill and addresses demand-side scarcity through a suite of conservation programs — the Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluation (free 75-minute audit via Resource Central), the WaterSense Smart Sprinkler Rebate Program ($100/$25 bill credits), Garden In A Box ($25 bill credit), and a discounted Rachio controller program — plus a digital tap application portal and a newly migrated Online Utility Access billing platform.

Strategically, FCLWD is investing in long-term supply security through the Vita H2O partnership with FrontRange H2O (board-approved May 29, 2025), an Aquifer Storage and Recovery system targeting 2029 water deliveries, while having withdrawn from the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) in April 2026 due to cost escalation. The District's customer base includes not only end-user residential, commercial, and irrigation accounts but also wholesale municipal customers (Town of Windsor, Town of Timnath, City of Loveland, Little Thompson Water District), with reciprocal seasonal water exchanges. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, consistent with its status as a government special district.

Name

Fort Collins-Loveland Water District

Legal name

Fort Collins Loveland Water District

Website

https://fclwd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FCLWD is a Colorado Title 32 Special District providing water treatment and distribution to 67,000+ customers across 60 square miles in Northern Colorado, including Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Windsor, and Larimer County, via the jointly owned Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant and a diversified multi-basin water rights portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Monthly Water Service Rates: The District generates primary revenue from monthly water service rates charged to residential, multi-family, commercial, and irrigation customers. Rates consist of a fixed monthly base fee plus tiered volumetric charges based on water consumption levels. The District also employs a cost-of-service pricing model where customer classes placing higher demand on the system are charged more, incentivizing efficient water use. A water resource surcharge ($1.50 per thousand gallons) applies to commercial accounts.
2. Tap Fees (New Development): The District charges tap fees for new development connections, which fund growth-related infrastructure. Tap fees are based on meter size, lot size, water usage, and a climate contingency factor. The 2026 Tap Fee Schedule took effect January 1, 2026.
3. Water Resource Surcharge: Commercial tap customers are charged a water resource surcharge of $1.50 per thousand gallons to recover the projected shortfall in tap fee revenues due to customer classes having actual demand that exceeds the water purchased.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fort Collins-Loveland Water District is a Title 32 Special District in Colorado that delivers treated drinking water to over 67,000 residential, commercial, and irrigation customers across approximately 60 square miles of Northern Colorado, including parts of Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Windsor and Larimer County. The District sources water primarily from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the Cache la Poudre River Basin, treats it at the jointly owned 68 MGD Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant and the City of Fort Collins facility, and distributes it through a regional network of mains, pump stations, storage tanks and meters. It supplements its core water distribution with conservation programs (Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluations, WaterSense rebates, Garden In A Box), a digital tap application process for new development, and long-term supply planning through the Vita H2O Aquifer Storage and Recovery partnership.

Product overview

Fort Collins-Loveland Water District operates as a Title 32 Special District providing water distribution services since 1961. The core offering is water treatment and delivery to over 67,000 customers across 60 square miles. The District offers a portfolio of conservation programs including the Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluation (free 75-minute audit by Resource Central), WaterSense Smart Sprinkler Rebate Program (bill credits for smart controllers, rain sensors, and rotary nozzles), and Garden In A Box ($25 bill credit for drought-tolerant gardens). FCLWD partners with Rachio to offer discounted smart sprinkler controllers in 8-zone and 16-zone models. Customer services include the FCLWD Online Utility Access portal for bill pay and account management, a tap application software platform for developers, and water quality reporting. The District is also developing the Vita H2O Project (in partnership with FrontRange H2O) for long-term water security through Aquifer Storage and Recovery. Infrastructure improvement projects include the Western Backbone Transmission Line, Zone 5 pipeline projects, and storage tank expansions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution and Treatment Service
• Slow the Flow Sprinkler Evaluation
• WaterSense Smart Sprinkler Rebate Program
• Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller
• Garden In A Box
• Leak Detection Program
• FCLWD Online Utility Access
• Tap Application Software
• Backflow Prevention Program
• Vita H2O Project
• Developer and Builder Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves up to 5,000 gallons of water per year per customer through Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) - WithdrawnminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026On April 21, 2026, the FCLWD Board of Directors voted to withdraw from the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). The decision was made after careful evaluation of the project's evolving scope, increasing costs, and overall alignment with the District's long-term responsibility to provide reliable, cost-effective water. Participation in NISP would have resulted in an estimated 50% increase in water resource fees.
• FrontRange H2OcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025FCLWD has partnered with FrontRange H2O on the Vita H2O Project, an on-demand groundwater supply and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system. The board of directors approved the partnership on May 29, 2025. The project aims to enhance regional water security by storing excess water underground during wet years and making it available during dry periods or drought. Vita H2O is anticipated to produce water for delivery in 2029. The project is designed to serve the region for over 100 years and will complement existing surface water supplies without requiring construction of a new water treatment plant.
• Soldier Canyon Water Treatment AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017In 2017, the integrated agreement between Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, East Larimer County Water District, and North Weld County Water District was dissolved, and the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant became known as The Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority. FCLWD receives treated water from this facility, which is a 68 MGD conventional water treatment plant serving more than 150,000 people across the Tri-Districts.
• North Poudre Irrigation CompanycoreOthersFCLWD currently gets its water from the North Poudre Irrigation Company as one of several surface water sources, along with Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) project, Josh Ames, Divide Canal and Reservoir Company, and Windsor Reservoir Company.
• Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT)coreOthersThe majority of FCLWD's water comes from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, a major regional water project that collects, stores and transports water from the Western Slope near Grand Lake to the Front Range through a complex system of reservoirs, tunnels, pipelines and canals. Approximately 90% of the District's water right portfolio is derived from the Colorado River Basin via C-BT.
• Cobb Lake Regional Water Treatment Authority (CLRWTA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCLWD is participating in a regional partnership through CLRWTA to secure sustainable water solutions for the future of the region. The CLRWTA Board meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 2 p.m.
• Resource CentralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCLWD partners with Resource Central to offer the Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluation program and the Garden In A Box program. Resource Central runs 75-minute sprinkler evaluations for eligible FCLWD customers and offers free, online waterwise yard seminars. The partnership helps customers save water and money through efficient irrigation practices.
• City of Fort CollinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCLWD receives treated water from the City of Fort Collins water treatment facility in addition to water from Soldier Canyon. Both utilities source water from the C-BT Project and the Cache la Poudre River Basin. The City of Fort Collins has a similar water portfolio to FCLWD.
• East Larimer County Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-District partner in the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority (along with FCLWD and North Weld County Water District). Together these three districts are often referred to as the Tri-Districts and jointly own the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant.
• North Weld County Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-District partner in the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority (along with FCLWD and East Larimer County Water District). Together these three districts are often referred to as the Tri-Districts and jointly own the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant.
• Divide Canal and Reservoir CompanyminorOthersFCLWD currently gets its water from Divide Canal and Reservoir Company as one of several surface water sources.
• Windsor Reservoir CompanyminorOthersFCLWD currently gets its water from Windsor Reservoir Company as one of several surface water sources.
• Josh AmesminorOthersFCLWD currently gets its water from Josh Ames as one of several surface water sources.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Denver Water: The largest water utility in Colorado (1.5M+ customers) sourcing primarily from the same C-BBT system and the South Platte; broader incumbent in the same Colorado water infrastructure category with overlapping regulatory exposure.
• Colorado Springs Utilities: Vertically integrated multi-utility (water, electric, gas) serving Colorado Springs; comparable scale and customer count to FCLWD with broader service scope across the Front Range and similar capital intensity.
• Aurora Water: Another large Colorado Front Range water utility serving Aurora and adjacent areas; comparable surface-water and reuse approaches and broadly overlapping regulatory and supply context, but at materially greater scale.

Others

• Northern Water: Regional water authority that operates the Colorado-Big Thompson Project supplying the majority of FCLWD's water; not a retail competitor but a critical enabling infrastructure provider whose operational and policy decisions directly shape FCLWD's supply.

Direct peers

• North Weld County Water District: Tri-District joint owner of the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Authority alongside FCLWD and East Larimer County Water District; operates a comparable Title 32 special district model with senior C-BT-sourced water rights in northern Colorado.
• East Larimer County Water District: Tri-District partner that co-owns the Soldier Canyon Water Treatment Plant with FCLWD; a similarly sized Colorado Title 32 special district serving adjacent Larimer County territory with a comparable C-BT-dependent supply portfolio.
• City of Fort Collins Utilities: Directly adjacent municipal water utility that exchanges water with FCLWD and co-supplies the Soldier Canyon system; operates a similarly sized drinking water system anchored on C-BT and the Cache la Poudre basin with overlapping regulatory exposure.
• Town of Windsor Water Utility: Northern Colorado municipal water utility that purchases wholesale water from FCLWD; serves a fast-growing community immediately adjacent to FCLWD's service area with overlapping residential and irrigation demand profiles.
• Town of Timnath Water: Small Northern Colorado municipality that purchases wholesale water from FCLWD; represents a downstream municipal customer with similar residential and irrigation demand patterns within FCLWD's service area.
• Little Thompson Water District: Neighboring Colorado special district that purchases wholesale water from FCLWD to serve its Larimer County customers; comparable Title 32 operating model, customer profile, and shared supply dependence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FCLWD
• Instagraminstagram.com/fclwd_info

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fort Collins-Loveland Water District