by Terry Dildy
Effective April 1st, the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) will be raising the rates that it charges the Cypress Creek Utility District (the District). Accordingly, the District is passing through this rate increase.
Therefore the NHCRWA charge on your water bill will increase from $4.68 to $5.06 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed on your water bill. Currently, the average monthly residential NHCRWA fee for CCUD residents is about $28.17. With the new rate structure, it will be about $30.46, a $2.29 increase.
Increases in NHCRWA rates are related to conversion from well water to surface water to stop subsidence. The North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) was formed in 1999 for the sole purpose “to develop and implement a strategy for complying with Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s Regulatory Plan that requires a reduction in groundwater usage to no more than 20 percent of total water demand by the year 2035.”
Since the NHCRWA is not a taxing authority, the cost to convert from well water to surface water (our future water source) is passed on to the residents in the monthly utility bill. But the NHCRWA fee is not for CCUD only. The NHCRWA covers 335 square miles: west of 290, the Harris County line on the north (Spring Creek), Cypress Creek Parkway and Bammel-North Houston on the south and the western shores of Lake Houston on the east. This area includes approximately 710,000 residents.
For more information, the NHCRWA website and below video explain pretty well what is happening with water rates:
That explains the increase in water rates. But there are other reasons why your water bill may have taken a big jump – a water leak or sudden increase in usage (e.g. watering the lawn). After reviewing your monthly bill, if you still have questions about your bill, call the CCUD operators and they will assist you.