Boulder utilities staff outline 6‑year capital improvement plan and propose 2026 rate increases

City of Boulder utilities staff on Wednesday presented a six‑year capital improvement program (CIP) that prioritizes rehabilitation of aging water, wastewater and storm‑and‑flood systems and recommended a set of rate increases to help pay for the work.

At a meeting of the Utilities Advisory Board, staff described a large backlog of capital needs across roughly $3 billion in utility assets and said they are trying to balance increased reinvestment with measured, predictable rate changes to avoid abrupt spikes for customers. Stephanie Klingman, the city’s principal financial analyst, proposed an 8% increase in water rates, a 6% increase in wastewater rates and a 5% increase in storm/flood rates for 2026, with additional proposed increases in 2027–28 (8% for water and wastewater; 7% for storm/flood).

The board was shown how the utilities prioritize projects using an asset inventory and condition‑index process intended to “flatten the decline” in system condition by lifting the scores of the highest‑risk assets through targeted rehabilitation and replacement. Chris Douglas, the city’s chief engineering manager for utilities, described programs and near‑term projects meant to address those priorities, including pipe relining, key transmission pipelines and improvements at treatment facilities.

Staff highlighted several…