The town of Kremmling is set to discuss an upcoming increase to residents’ water utility bills. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Kremmling Chamber of Commerce, 203 Park Ave.

The rate increase is “to address critically deteriorating infrastructure” to maintain “safe and reliable drinking water,” according to a news release from the town.

For most residential users, the total bill will rise to $157.50 from the 2024 rate of $125.75 for the first 6,000 gallons of water. The 25% increase will take effect in January.

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The increase is based on a recent water utility rate study, which town staff commissioned in June in anticipation of building a new water treatment plant. The increase in water utility bills will help fund the treatment plant in addition to a $300,000 state grant for design and engineering of the plant.

“The town of Kremmling is in the process of replacing the existing plant with a modern ultra-filtration processing system,” according to the town’s website. “The old water treatment plant has reached the end of its useful life, and it has become necessary to replace the existing facility.”

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The current plant is about 70 years old, and the town updated it in the 1980s.

Town staff held an informational meeting June 24, when residents gave their input on the proposed increase and told staff how they’d like to see water infrastructure improved. Sara Everhart, a small utilities consultant for Rural Community Assistance Corp., hosted the meeting.

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At the meeting, town staff explained that the new treatment plant will filter out PFAS, known as forever chemicals, which have been found in some water supplies. In Kremmling’s water supply, a negligible amount of PFAS have been found in water taken from the Colorado River, according to a town memo. Kremmling also receives surface water intake from Jones Reservoir and Sheep Creek, but no PFAS were found in those sources.

According to federal and state laws, the town must monitor for contaminants in drinking water.

“Some of the things coming down the pike are emerging contaminants — PFAS — that our treatment plant cannot treat for currently,” town Public Works Director Dillon Willson said at the meeting. “So if we keep kicking this can down the road, we might get to a point where we’re in violation, and we get charged per month for violation. … We’re completely safe now, but we’re getting close to new regulations down the road that our new plant will handle.”

Learn more about the rate increase, the treatment plant construction timeline and other details at TownOfKremmling.colorado.gov by clicking on the “government” and “projects” tabs.