Where: Mosca, Colorado

Issue: The unincorporated community’s aging wastewater system threatened drinking water supplies.

Outcome: RCAC conducted a rate study, which allowed the community to access grants and loans to build a new system.

Mosca is an unincorporated community in Alamosa County, Colorado, with about 120 residents. The community obtains potable water from a cluster of 20 to 25 private wells, however deficiencies in the wastewater system threaten to contaminate the ground water.

The Alamosa County Public Health Department was concerned about potential public health problems. However, county tax payers had subsidized Mosca for many years, as the small system doesn’t have enough customers and revenue covered less than one-third of the operation and maintenance expenses.

Community leaders agreed to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to make improvements but learned that such grants would be contingent upon Mosca restructuring its utility rates. Mosca and Alamosa County leaders approached RCAC for assistance. RCAC staff completed an in-depth rate study and determined that to make the system sustainable long-term, the residential rate needed to be increased from $25 to $35.80 per month, and the commercial rate from $26.50 to $58.06 per month.

With the rate restructuring in place, Mosca secured a $635,000 grant from Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs. At the same time, Mosca negotiated a $159,000 USDA loan. Alamosa County announced it would break ground on a central sewer system in 2017.

“The new system would not be possible without RCAC’s invaluable help to conduct the in-depth rate study, which helped the community understand how to keep the new system sustainable over the long-term,” said Rachel Baird, Alamosa County’s land use administrator.