Multimillion-dollar projects target water infrastructure From the cover
What’s happening
North Harris County Regional Water Authority projects Planned projects 1 Louetta Pump Station Improvements at this existing Completed projects 3 Project 6
NHCRWA
Existing lines
The North Harris County Regional Water Authority is working on several projects to convert groundwater use to surface water use. O cials said about 32%-34% of the NHCRWA’s total water usage comes from surface water. 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. The NHCRWA plans to connect its distribution system to Tomball by 2029. The $119.57 million project, currently in the planning stages, will supply surface water to multiple water plants in Tomball to support the city’s future growth. Although the project helps the NHCRWA meet its 2025 surface water conversion deadline, Tomball
This project adds two new water facilities in the southern part of the service area. • Timeline: construction began in 2023; service began in 2024 • Cost: $10.65 million 4 Project 7 This project extends service to NHCRWA MUD 32 in the eastern part of the service area. • Timeline: construction began in 2023; service began in 2024 • Cost: $5.78 million
pump station will ensure water is delivered to new water-receiving facilities. • Timeline: construction begins in 2026; service begins in 2027 • Cost: $48.23 million 2 City of Tomball connection to 2025 distribution system Will deliver surface water to multiple Tomball water plants; new pump station will deliver water to the west and northwest parts of the service area • Timeline: construction begins in 2028; service begins in 2029 • Cost: $119.57 million
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SOURCE: NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
converted the city to surface water. In April, the NHCRWA more than doubled the amount of surface water it could receive after completing the rst phase of the Northeast Water Puri cation Plant expansion project. Chang said the water authority now receives 82 million gallons of surface water per day from Houston.
City Manager David Esquivel said the city has no plans to rely solely on NHCRWA’s water, calling it unreliable and not guaranteed. Tomball operates its own water system, which relies on groundwater. Chang said the NHCRWA has been talking with Tomball o cials since 2018, reassuring them they would have a reliable surface water supply if they
The background
What it means
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. Despite ongoing projects, the NHCRWA’s rates are now at their lowest in a decade after the board cut rates over the past two years following the election of three new board
HGSD General Manager Mike Turco described subsidence as the gradual sinking 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 the local water authority doesn’t meet its 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
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: HARRIS GALVESTON SUBSIDENCE DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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