2026 Water Rates Explained

Posted January 8, 2026

In Advanced Metering Technology, Detect Water Leaks, Infrastructure, PFAS, Tracking Water Use, Water Meter Upgrades, Water Quality, Water Rates, Water Savings, Water Service, Water Storage, Water Supply, Water Taste and Smell, Water Treatment

Like many water utilities across the country, Thornton evaluates your water rates each year to balance affordability with the cost of providing clean, reliable water to our community. Your water rates not only pay for the actual water running through your pipes, but for a complex water system that transports, stores, treats and delivers an average of 22 million gallons of drinking water to customers each day. These updates are necessary to continue reliably delivering clean, quality drinking water that meets all state and federal water quality standards.

To continue providing our community with clean, reliable drinking water, Thornton City Council approved a water rate increase for all customers, effective Jan. 1, 2026. An average single-family residence inside city limits will see an average increase of $4 per month during winter months and $10 per month during summer months. The impact on your water rates vary depending on the season and if you are a customer inside or outside city limits.

Table displaying typical Thornton Water bill rates by season. Winter water bills for customers inside the city are roughly 1/3 of the typical summer bill. Starting on January 1, 2024, a customer with a summer water bill of $93.88 could expect to see a $104.21 bill for the same usage. — Water rates for customers both inside and outside the city of Thornton will increase as of January 1, 2026.

Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvements

In 2026, your water rate contribution will support crucial improvements and maintenance for existing reservoirs, water treatment plants, distribution pipes, pump stations, storage tanks, hydrants, and technologies that run your water system. Water rates do not contribute to system expansion for new customers in Thornton; expansion is funded through connection fees.

Text on various colored backgrounds. Text reads: “Your Thornton water rate covers: water source management, infrastructure maintenance, water treatment plant improvements, and safe drinking water requirements. Without water life would be pretty dry, ThorntonWater.com, Thornton.”

One area of focus for 2026 is enhancing efficiency and safety at the Wes Brown Treatment Plant. This includes proactively replacing equipment nearing the end of its useful life and installing new equipment that will last 15 to 20 more years. Proactive replacement ensures no disruption in the delivery or quality of water to your home or business.

Improvements in 2026 also include the installation of a new powder activated carbon (PAC) storage silo to increase the storage capacities at the Wes Brown Treatment Plant. This storage upgrade will allow for larger quantities of water to be treated for taste, smell, and reduced PFAS levels.

Aerial view of the Wes Brown Treatment Plant looking north.

Recent projects funded by water rates include a renovation of a chemical storage room at the Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant and storage tank improvements to repair corrosion that occurred over time.

PFAS Testing and Treatment to Protect Your Health

One of the most impactful projects your water rates will support next year is the addition of new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing technology and treatment equipment at the Thornton Water Treatment Plant. These persistent substances nicknamed “forever chemicals,” have been found in water, air, and soil across the nation and the globe. Since April 2024, the Thornton Water Quality Lab has invested in equipment to analyze and detect PFAS compounds in accordance with new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards. After a three-year certification process, Thornton recently became the fourth municipal lab in Colorado to be certified for PFAS analysis.

In addition to a new Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) instrument added in 2024 to detect and measure PFAS at the Thornton Water Quality Lab, Thornton Water is also actively designing additional, state-of-the-art facility upgrades to remove PFAS from your water.

These additional upgrades will specifically remove PFAS, ensuring drinking water remains clean and free from these contaminants for all our customers.

Laboratory equipment at the Water Quality Lab with tubes and small containers on top. — Thornton’s water quality lab is now certified to analyze per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals that have been found in water, air, and soil across the nation and around the globe.

Water Savings with Daily Water Use Data

For the past several years, water rates and federal grants have allowed Thornton to invest in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). This program rolled out in 2025 and helps customers detect leaks early, save water, and manage their daily water use in the WaterSmart portal. As of December 2025, nearly all Thornton Water customers now have access to daily water use data in the WaterSmart portal. The new AMI technology helps customers catch indoor and outdoor leaks early and make conscious decisions to reduce their daily water use.

Customers can save water and lower their monthly bill by taking advantage of Thornton Water rebate programs and developing water-wise habits, such as reducing excess outdoor irrigation during the summer and resolving indoor water leaks quickly. Learn more about how you can conserve water on our saving indoors and saving outdoors pages.

Graphic outlining the key benefits of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology. Text reads: Advanced Metering Infrastructure lets customers: view real-time water use, monitor water use patterns, set high-use notifications to help catch leaks, receive quarterly water use reports.

Learn more about all Thornton Water rebates and ways to save on our website or contact us at Water@ThorntonWater.com or 720-977-6600. For questions about your bill, visit goCOT.net/utilitybilling, contact UtilBilling@thorntonco.gov or call 303-538-7370. For low-income support, visit the Thornton Water Assistance Program website, contact the Water Assistance Specialist Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 720-977-5815 or email Assistance@ThorntonCO.gov.

City of Thornton, infrastructure, investment, PFAS, rate increase, Thornton Water, water meter, Water Quality, water rates, water service, WaterWise