What East Larimer County Water Dist does

East Larimer County Water District (ELCO) is a Colorado special district water utility established in 1963 that provides drinking water to approximately 75,000 residents in the area north and east of Fort Collins. The district sources water from the Poudre River and Horsetooth Reservoir, treated at the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant, which ELCO jointly owns with North Weld County Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District. Through ownership interconnections, treated water is also supplied to Windsor, Ault, Nunn, Severance, Timnath, Eaton, and portions of Pierce. ELCO operates with a lean staff of 12 employees and is governed by an elected five-member Board of Directors.

ELCO's core product is treated drinking water delivered through its distribution main network to residential and commercial customers. The district has deployed Badger/Beacon smart meters across the service area, enabling the EyeOnWater customer portal for real-time usage tracking (hourly, daily, monthly, yearly) and automated leak alerts (24-hour continuous-flow notifications via email or text). Additional products include the Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program (enforced through BSI's online portal), a Water Efficiency Plan updated in 2024, free sprinkler audits via Resource Central, autopay and billing services, emergency notifications via CivicPlus, and developer tools (tap fees, construction specs, hydrant meter rentals) for new construction projects. The district conducts over 7,000 water quality tests per year at the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant and approximately 130 monthly tests district-wide, meeting or exceeding EPA drinking water standards.

ELCO's revenue model is monthly water utility billing, with charges billed around the 21st of each month and due on the 20th of the following month. A conservation charge applies per 1,000 gallons when customer usage exceeds annual water rights allotments, resetting each January. Additional revenue is generated from tap fees for new connections (with a revised schedule effective January 1, 2026), developer services, and a $20 NSF fee on insufficient-funds ACH transactions. The district is self-sustaining through water service fees and tap fees, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or parent company. As a public utility, ELCO operates without traditional growth-funding levers; expansion is driven by regional population growth and new construction activity within its legislatively defined service area.

Name

East Larimer County Water Dist

Legal name

East Larimer County Water District

Website

https://elcowater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Larimer County Water District is a Colorado special district water utility, established in 1963, that provides treated drinking water to approximately 75,000 residents north and east of Fort Collins, Colorado, through jointly owned treatment infrastructure and a smart-metered distribution network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Drinking Water Distribution Network Operations (Mains, Valves, Hydrants, Service Lines) (EUANAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Drinking water supply
• Municipal water utility
• Water distribution services
• Backflow prevention
• Water conservation programs

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

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Water Utility Billing: ELCO reads meters once a month and bills customers around the 21st of each month. Charges shown on the bill are due on the 20th of the following month. The district also imposes a conservation charge when a customer's water use exceeds their annual water rights allotment, applied per 1,000 gallons until the January bill resets the allotment.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

East Larimer County Water District (ELCO) provides treated drinking water distribution to approximately 75,000 residents and businesses located north and east of Fort Collins, Colorado. Water is sourced from the Poudre River and Horsetooth Reservoir and treated at the jointly-owned Soldier Canyon Filter Plant before distribution through the district's water mains. The district also operates Badger/Beacon smart meters via the EyeOnWater platform, enabling customers to monitor usage and receive leak alerts, and runs a Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program, a Water Efficiency Plan, and developer/builder services for new connections.

Product overview

East Larimer County Water District provides drinking water services to homes and businesses north and east of Fort Collins, Colorado. The core offering is treated drinking water from the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant, distributed through infrastructure including smart meters. The primary customer-facing digital product is EyeOnWater, a smart meter portal enabling water usage tracking and leak alerts. Related services include the Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program for water safety compliance, the Water Efficiency Plan for conservation, and various billing/autopay services. Developer tools support construction and development projects in the district.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EyeOnWater Smart Meter Portal Online customer portal providing access to daily water usage data from Badger/Beacon smart meters. Allows customers to track water use on hourly, daily, monthly and yearly basis, and set up leak alerts that notify them via email or text when continuous flow exceeds a specified threshold for 24 consecutive hours.
• Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program Water safety program protecting the public potable water system from pollutants and contaminants. Requires commercial and non-residential customers to install, maintain, and annually test an approved backflow prevention assembly, with test results reported through the Backflow Solutions Inc. (BSI) online portal.
• Water Efficiency Plan Water conservation program required by Colorado statute (C.R.S. 37-60-126) for covered entities. Sets water efficiency goals and activities to implement conservation measures across the district, including voluntary watering restrictions.
• Free Sprinkler Audits Free sprinkler evaluation program delivered in partnership with Resource Central's Slow the Flow program. Customers register at ResourceCentral.org/Sprinklers or call (303) 999-3824 to schedule a sprinkler audit that helps save water.
• Developer Tools and Services Resources for developers and contractors including construction criteria, specs, project checklists, meter pit installation procedures, and tap fee schedules for new water service connections within the district.
• Monthly Drinking Water Utility Service Core monthly drinking water supply service delivered through ELCO's water distribution mains. Meters are read once per month and customers are billed around the 21st of each month, with charges due on the 20th of the following month. A conservation charge applies per 1,000 gallons when a customer's water use exceeds their annual water rights allotment.
• Alerts and Notifications Service Mass notification service delivering emergency and routine alerts via phone calls, text messages, and/or email through the CivicPlus system, including maintenance notifications, holiday/office closure notifications, and emergency alerts.
• Auto Pay (Auto Withdrawal) Automatic payment service allowing customers to have water bills automatically drafted from checking or savings accounts on the 10th of each month. A $20 NSF fee applies for insufficient funds on ACH/autopay transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 water quality tests conducted per year at the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant to ensure compliance with EPA drinking water standards.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Resource CentralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource Central provides a free 'Slow the Flow' sprinkler evaluation program for ELCO customers. Customers can register at ResourceCentral.org/Sprinklers or call (303) 999-3824 to schedule a free sprinkler audit. The program helps customers save thousands of gallons of water annually.
• Backflow Solutions, Inc. (BSI)coreTechnology or IntegrationBackflow Solutions, Inc. (BSI) provides an online portal for reporting testing of existing and replacement backflow assemblies, as required under ELCO's Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program. Testing results must be reported to BSI through their online portal at bsionlinetracking.com.
• Soldier Canyon Filter Plant (Joint Ownership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELCO jointly owns and operates the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant with North Weld County Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District. The plant treats water from Horsetooth Reservoir and the Poudre River. Approximately 75,000 northern Colorado residents receive water from this plant. ELCO also has a representative on the governing board of the SCFP.
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)coreOthersThe Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) regulates drinking water quality and standards. Under Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations (Regulation 11), CDPHE mandates cross-connection control and backflow prevention requirements that ELCO enforces as a covered entity.
• Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD)coreOthersThe Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) administers the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project, the largest transmountain diversion project in the State. Horsetooth Reservoir and the Pleasant Valley Pipeline are part of the C-BT Project. NCWCD oversees water delivery to almost 1.5 million acres of northeastern Colorado.
• Badger Meter (Beacon/Badger Smart Meters)coreTechnology or IntegrationBadger Meter provides smart water metering technology (Beacon/Badger Meters) installed throughout ELCO's service area. These meters enable online access to customer daily water usage data through the EyeOnWater platform. ELCO has been upgrading meters with this smart technology across the district.
• North Weld County Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELCO participates in the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant joint ownership along with North Weld County Water District and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District. Through these interconnections, water is also supplied to the towns of Windsor, Ault, Nunn, Severance, Timnath, and Eaton, as well as portions of Pierce and the Northern Colorado Water Association.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pueblo West Metropolitan District: Special district providing water and wastewater services to an unincorporated Colorado community. Structurally comparable as a single-purpose special district water utility with a developer-driven growth model similar to ELCO's northern Colorado footprint.
• North Weld County Water District: Co-owner of the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant alongside ELCO. Operates as a special district providing drinking water in northern Colorado and shares both treatment infrastructure and regional supply dynamics, making it the closest operational peer.
• Town of Windsor Utilities: Receives water through ELCO's interconnections at the Soldier Canyon plant. Operates a comparable small-town water distribution function in the same northern Colorado corridor with overlapping customers and supply sources.
• Fort Collins-Loveland Water District: Third joint owner of the Soldier Canyon Filter Plant and a neighboring special district water utility. Directly comparable in service model, customer type, and regulatory exposure within northern Colorado.

Broad incumbents

• Denver Water: Largest water utility in Colorado, serving the Denver metro area. Comparable in regulatory environment and water-rights exposure but operates at significantly greater scale across a much larger service territory.
• Fort Collins Utilities (City of Fort Collins): Municipal water and wastewater utility serving the adjacent city of Fort Collins. Comparable in geography and customer base but operates at broader municipal scale and does not specialize as a single-purpose water district like ELCO.
• Aurora Water: Municipal water utility serving Aurora and significant portions of the eastern Denver metro. Operates treatment and distribution at a larger municipal scale but with shared Front Range water-rights and climate exposure.
• Loveland Water and Power: Combined water and electric utility serving the City of Loveland, directly adjacent to ELCO's service area. Comparable regulatory and climate exposure but operates a broader utility portfolio rather than a dedicated water district.
• Colorado Springs Utilities: Multi-service municipal utility providing water along with electric, gas, and wastewater. Comparable in Colorado regulatory and climate context but offers a broad utility portfolio rather than ELCO's single-purpose water focus.

Others

• Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District: Regional wholesaler administering the C-BT Project, of which ELCO is a beneficiary. Operates as the area's principal water administration body and a critical counterparty for ELCO's supply.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-larimer-county-water-dist

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 East Larimer County Water Dist