Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company

What Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company does

Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICO) is a Colorado mutual ditch company incorporated in 1902, headquartered in Brighton, CO, that owns and operates a large-scale water storage and canal delivery infrastructure system. The company manages four major plus several smaller reservoirs and approximately 400 miles of canals extending from the Front Range foothills to east of Greeley, Colorado. FRICO also manages three associated ditch and reservoir company systems and is developing an alluvial water storage system in Weld County that includes three additional reservoirs.

FRICO serves two primary customer segments: municipal water providers and agricultural water rights holders. It provides major storage for the municipal needs of 300,000 citizens across four municipalities in the northwest Denver area, while its other reservoirs remain predominantly in agricultural use. The company is structured as a mutual ditch company with 8,000 shares distributed across 500 separate shareholder accounts, governed by a seven-person Board of Directors and a Company President to whom the General Manager reports. Shareholders receive water allocations proportional to their share ownership, and a shareholder leasing list facilitates water rights leasing to third parties.

FRICO's revenue model is not publicly disclosed but operates on a shareholder-mutual structure where water deliveries and allocations are governed by share ownership. The company's digital surface consists of a shareholder-facing web portal offering account management, a 5 Day Canal Delivery Forecast (CFS) tool, and downloadable shareholder letters and allocation reports. Pricing for water deliveries, allocations, or lease arrangements is determined through shareholder agreements and internal company policies rather than public rate schedules.

Name

Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company

Legal name

Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company

Website

https://farmersres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICO) is a 1902 mutual ditch company operating ~400 miles of canals and four major reservoirs in Colorado, serving 500 agricultural shareholders and providing major municipal water storage for 300,000 citizens across four northwest Denver municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation Design, Installation & Maintenance Services (Engineering, Retrofit, Repair) (AFAAACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hydro BOP Civil & Water Conveyance (Dams, Spillways, Penstocks, Canals) (EUAMAFAG)

Keywords

• Water storage infrastructure
• Irrigation water delivery
• Canal delivery systems
• Agricultural water management
• Municipal water supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FRICO is a mutual ditch company that stores and delivers water through a network of four major reservoirs, several smaller reservoirs, and approximately 400 miles of canals extending from Colorado's Front Range foothills to east of Greeley. It provides agricultural irrigation water to shareholders holding 8,000 shares across 500 accounts and serves as the major storage provider for municipal needs of 300,000 citizens across four northwest Denver municipalities. The company also manages three associated ditch and reservoir systems and is developing an alluvial water storage system with three additional reservoirs in Weld County.

Product overview

FRICO operates as a mutual ditch company offering water storage, management, and delivery services. Its primary digital product is a shareholder web portal through which shareholders access the 5 Day Canal Delivery Forecast tool, downloadable allocation schedules, shareholder letters, and account management features. The company also provides physical water storage infrastructure and canal delivery services to agricultural shareholders and municipal customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 5 Day Canal Delivery Forecast

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 300,000 citizens across four municipalities with municipal water storage
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP): Northern Colorado regional water project developing new reservoir and pipeline infrastructure to serve participating municipalities. Comparable to FRICO given its focus on Front Range municipal water storage expansion, though structured as a multi-entity project rather than a mutual ditch company.
• South Metro Water Supply Authority: Colorado water provider coordinating municipal water supply across southern Denver metro municipalities. Comparable to FRICO given its multi-municipal wholesale water storage and supply focus in the same metropolitan region.

Direct peers

• Central Colorado Water Conservancy District: Colorado conservancy district operating reservoirs and providing irrigation and municipal water along the Front Range. Direct comparable to FRICO given similar mission of agricultural irrigation support and municipal water augmentation in adjacent geographies.
• High Line Canal Company: Historic Colorado ditch company operating a long canal system for irrigation water delivery in the Denver metropolitan area. Comparable to FRICO given similar mutual ditch company structure, canal-based irrigation delivery, and Front Range geography.
• Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District: Regional water conservancy district that operates reservoirs and conveys water across the northern Colorado Front Range. Direct comparable to FRICO given overlapping geography, agricultural-to-municipal water storage mandate, and similar infrastructure model serving northeastern Colorado.

Broad incumbents

• Denver Water: The largest water utility in Colorado, serving the Denver metropolitan area. Comparable as a major water storage and delivery operator in the same Front Range geography, though at much larger scale and with a broader customer base than FRICO's four-municipality focus.
• Aurora Water: Utility-owned water service for the City of Aurora, Colorado, operating reservoirs and treatment facilities. Comparable to FRICO given its role as a municipal water storage provider in the Front Range corridor, though serving a single city rather than FRICO's multi-municipality model.

Regional players

• Colorado River Water Conservation District: Operates in Colorado's Western Slope, managing water storage and irrigation infrastructure for agricultural and municipal use. Comparable to FRICO in operating model (reservoir/ditch infrastructure for agricultural and municipal water) but operates in a different watershed and geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-farmers-reservoir-and-irrigation-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company