Denver Water’s lead service line replacement program is also testing a financing model with implications far beyond lead pipes.
Cynthia Koehler of WaterNow explains how Denver Water is using long-term financing to accelerate replacement of customer-owned lead service lines rather than relying only on annual operating budgets.
The approach is familiar for major utility infrastructure: raise capital up front through debt, then spread repayment over time instead of asking current ratepayers to absorb the full cost immediately.
Koehler says that matters because lead service line replacement is distributed infrastructure located across thousands of individual properties, not one centralized treatment plant or reservoir.
By treating that investment more like traditional capital infrastructure, Denver Water can move faster on a major public-health project and reduce the financial shock of paying for it all at once.
WaterNow sees the same financing logic applying to water-efficiency investments such as turf replacement, distributed conservation, and other projects that function as long-term water-supply assets.
The larger question is whether utilities can finance conservation the same way they finance pipes, pumps, tanks, and treatment plants.
If that model continues to expand, it could give utilities a much larger financial toolkit for scaling water-use efficiency across Colorado and beyond.
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/
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