Shifting to surface water From the cover
What’s happening
North Harris County Regional Water Authority projects
Existing lines
NHCRWA
Planned projects 1 Louetta Pump Station
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The North Harris County Regional Water Authority and the West Harris County Regional Water Authority are working on several projects to convert groundwater use to surface water use. Ocials said about 32%-34% of the NHCRWA’s total water usage comes from surface water, compared to 35.64% for the WHCRWA. NHCRWA General Manager Jun Chang said most of the authority’s projects for the 2025 surface water deadline focus on expanding water lines. Loops of water lines connect municipal utility districts to pump stations, and each loop expansion helps create a more interconnected internal distribution system. Most projects are paid for through bonds, funds from state entities and co-funding agreements. Board member Mark Ramsey said the NHCRWA is $2.7 billion in debt, and it’s expected to climb to $7 billion in the next 10 years. He said he hopes the Texas Legislature can provide “regulatory relief” to avoid unsustainable water rates. “We’re now headed toward $15 billion in cost with interest. … We don’t have even $100 million of actual damage [from subsidence] identied,” Ramsey said. “Why are we doing this government- mandated project to x something that may or may not actually be a problem?”
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Improvements to deliver adequate water supply and pressure to new water-receiving facilities • Timeline: Construction begins in 2026; service begins by 2027 • Cost: $48.23 million 2 Project 37 Adding 22 water-receiving facilities via over 40 miles of pipes and modications at each water- receiving facility • Timeline: Construction begins in 2025; service begins by 2027 • Cost: $350.99 million Completed projects 3 Alan Rendl Pump Station New pump station delivers water to the west and northwest parts of the service area • Timeline: Construction began in 2020; service began in 2024 • Cost: $120.32 million 4 Project 28 Added 7 miles of distribution lines
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290
1960
3
99 TOLL
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6
6
WHCRWA
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from the Alan Rendl Pump Station to nine water-receiving facilities • Timeline: Construction began in 2020; service began in 2022 • Cost: $103.77 million In progress projects 5 Project 31 Connecting an additional 16 water-receiving facilities to the authority’s distribution system via 18 miles of pipes and modications at each water-
receiving facility • Timeline: Construction began in 2024; service begins in 2025 • Cost: $159.01 million 6 Project 35 Extending service to 10 additional water-receiving facilities via 8 miles of pipes and modications at each water-receiving facility • Timeline: Construction began in 2024; service begins by 2025 • Cost: $84.04 million
SOURCES: NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY¡COMMUNITY IMPACT
The background
What it means
the election of three new board members who unseated longtime incumbents in 2022. While the cuts provide short-term relief for water users, Chang said a nancial adviser esti- mated they could only last another six months before an increase is likely. The NHCRWA could see rates exceed $8 per 1,000 gallons by 2032.
Water rates customers pay correlate to how much debt is incurred from bonds issued for building water infrastructure, Chang said. The WHCRWA’s water rates have steadily increased since 2015, but the NHCRWA’s rates are now at their lowest in a decade after the board cut rates over the past two years following
Turco described subsidence as the gradual sink- ing of land caused by the extraction of uids from an aquifer system. As groundwater is pumped out, the water levels within the aquifer decline, causing the clay layers in the aquifer to depressurize and compact.
Understanding subsidence
An aquifer is an underground rock structure containing water. Original land surface elevation 1 2
Water rate trends in northwest Harris County If these local water authorities don’t meet their surface water conversion targets by the end of the year, the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District will implement a disincentive fee to encourage compliance with groundwater reduction requirements. Residents would pay this fee instead of the water pumpage fee.
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NHCRWA groundwater
NHCRWA surface water
WHCRWA groundwater
WHCRWA surface water
HGSD disincentive fee
1
$6
$2 $4
Silt & clay: Prior to excessive groundwater use, clay and silt layers are loosely packed.
Gravel & sand: After long-term groundwater withdrawals, clay and silt layers compact.
$0
2015
2016
2017
2018 2019
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
2025
$7
$7
$8.46
$8.75
$9
$9.24
$9.58
$9.80
$10.78
$11.86 $12.12
SOURCE: HARRISGALVESTON SUBSIDENCE DISTRICTCOMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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