FAQs
What is the difference between District Area A and Area B?
See the description of District Area A and Area B on the District Service Page.
I applied for a contract, but changed my mind. May I get a refund of my application fee?
The $600 application fee is non-refundable. When a contract application is submitted, the District’s engineering staff reviews the specified uses and performs water use calculations. Likewise, the District’s legal advisers review the application and process required District and County paperwork. The application fee is meant to recover the expenses incurred by the District during this process, and is therefore non-refundable.
I have a contract, now where does my water come from?
The District contract helps secure a legal supply of water for the contractee, by providing a mechanism, using the District’s water rights, to protect the contractee’s diversion from water right call. It is the responsibility of the contractee to secure a physical water supply. Most BWCD contractees obtain their water from wells.
Why do I need a water meter?
All well permits granted by the Division of Water Resources in the State of Colorado require the installation of a meter. Furthermore, the State Engineer requires the District to report the actual water used by actively diverting contractees, in order to properly administer water rights as mandated by Colorado law. In order to satisfy this requirement, all contractees are required to install water metering devices for their diversion structures. Contractees must read the meter on a monthly basis, and report the readings to the District using a form that the District supplies.
For information on how to read your water meter, click on the following link.
Why do I have to pay a contract fee if I have not yet started to use water?
When the District grants you a contract, it dedicates and reserves a portion of its water rights to cover your anticipated needs. This water cannot then be allocated to other District users or to new contract applicants. Because the District reserves water for your contract as soon as the contract is final, you will be assessed annual fees for the contract.
Why don’t my neighbors need a BWCD allotment contract?
Water rights and their priorities vary for different properties, even for those located very close to each other. For example, your neighbors may own water rights of sufficient seniority that they do not require District protection. Or, your neighbors may have independently secured a Plan for Augmentation with the Water Court that does not depend on District water. Sometimes, the homeowner’s association for a development secures a water allotment contract or Plan for Augmentation, and the association fees include a pro rata share of the associated charges.