Lake Houston - Humble - Kingwood Edition | November 2025

Securing surface water From the cover

The overview

Water infrastructure projects The cities of Humble and Houston currently have four major water infrastructure projects being completed in Humble and Kingwood. 1 City of Humble water line A 3,000-foot water line will be constructed connecting the city of Houston’s water supply to Humble Water Well 6. • Timeline: January 2026-July 2026 • Cost: $2.4 million • Funding source: city of Humble 2 Kingwood Central Wastewater Treatment Plant The project will replace the plant’s lters and bar screens—key components that remove solids and

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A total of four major water projects are currently underway in the Humble and Kingwood areas. Among the projects is Humble’s $2.4 million water line project. Humble City Manager Jason Stuebe said the project will construct a roughly 3,000-foot water line connecting Houston’s water supply—located at the intersection of Hwy. 59 and Rankin Road—to Humble’s Water Well 6, located on Rankin Road. “This is a vital project, ... [since the city of Humble needs] to take more surface water from the city of Houston,” Stuebe said. Additionally, Phase 2 of Houston’s $1.97 billion expansion of the Northeast Water Purication Plant in Humble is expected to be substantially complete in late 2025, said Drew Molly, chief water ocer for Houston Public Works. Molly noted that the project, which includes the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility adjacent to the original facility, will increase the amount of water that can be treated at the plant from roughly 80 million gallons per day to 400 million gallons per day. Separately, Houston Public Works is spearheading two additional projects in Kingwood, including a $12 million project at the Kingwood Central Wastewater Treatment Plant to improve the plant’s ltration system, and a $6 million project at the Forest Cove Wastewater Treatment Plant to replace aging ultraviolet disinfection systems.

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debris early in the treatment process. • Timeline: summer 2025-winter 2027 • Cost: $12 million • Funding source: city of Houston

3 Forest Cove Wastewater Treatment Plant The project will replace aging ultraviolet disinfection systems at the wastewater treatment plant. • Timeline: summer 2025-winter 2027 • Cost: $6 million • Funding source: city of Houston

4 Northeast Water Puri cation Plant A new treatment facility will be constructed next to the existing plant and sized to achieve 320 million gallons per day of treated water capacity in addition to the current 80 million gallons. • Timeline: March 2024-winter 2025 • Cost: $1.97 billion • Funding source: city of Houston

SOURCES: HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, CITY OF HUMBLE¤COMMUNITY IMPACT

Residential water rate increases

The impact

Some context

Houston (April)

Humble (May)

Usage 1-3,000 gallons

In May, water and sewer rates jumped by about 20% each for the average residential customer in Humble after council members approved new rates, according to previous reporting. Humble’s water is supplied, in part, through groundwater pumped from ve local wells, but also through surface water, which is purchased from Houston, according to the city of Humble’s website. “We will be, in eect, doubling how much we have to purchase from the city of Houston,” Stuebe said. While Humble’s waterline project will help the city meet HGSD requirements, he said another water and sewer rate adjustment may be imple- mented in January. “We’re trying to break this up to make it as easily swallowable as possible,” Stuebe said. In April, Houston Public Works ocials raised water rates by an average of 6% for customers,

The rate increase in Humble is coming as the city begins to adhere to regulations implemented by the HGSD that require government agencies to increase the amount of surface water they use from 30% to 60%, Humble Public Works Director Mark Arnold said. HGSD data from 2019-23 shows the Greater Houston area continues to experi- ence subsidence, or the collapsing of the land due to movement beneath the earth’s surface. According to previous reporting, HGSD General Manager Mike Turco said subsidence is often caused when entities use groundwater as opposed to surface water. To alleviate subsidence, Turco said water authorities are required to follow HGSD’s regulatory plan of having 60% of their water supply coming from surface water by the end of this year and 80% by 2035.

Increased from $1.50 to $1.65 per every 1,000 gallons consumed Increased from $15.61 to $18.73 per month

Increased from $7 to $7.50 per every 1,000 gallons consumed Increased from $2.53 to $3.16 per every 1,000 gallons consumed

3,001-10,000 gallons

NOTE: HOUSTON RATES BASED ON 58 INCH SIZE WATER LINE; HUMBLE RATES NOT BASED ON WATER LINE SIZE. SOURCES: HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, CITY OF HUMBLECOMMUNITY IMPACT

though the actual rate increase is dependent on individual water usage, according to the city’s website. The increase is the fourth of ve planned rate hikes approved in 2021 to help fund improve- ments to the city’s sewer system. The last rate increase approved as part of the consent decree will go into eect April 1, 2026, according to the city’s website.

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM