HOUSTON – KPRC 2 Investigates continues to look into your water bills that are draining so many customers. This time we are spelling out the latest series of water rate hikes that customers can expect. If you live in the city of Houston, the latest rate increase takes effect on April 1, 2023.
Water bills will increase by at least 15%, up to 17.5% for some customers.
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Houston Public Works sent a notice to some customers. It explains that water rates will increase by 9.2%. This is an automatic adjustment that occurs every year. The increase is based on inflation.
Now add to that the water rate increase approved by Houston City Council in June 2021 that raises rates every year on April 1 over the next five years through 2026. The city said this rate increase is to cover the following needs:
- Resources to continue water and wastewater services
- Maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure
- Reduced water main breaks
- Reduced sanitary sewer overflows
- Improved resilience against hurricanes, freezes, and climate change
- Ability to comply with the consent decree
- Ability to comply with federal regulations rather than pay penalties for violations caused by lack of investmen
How much more will I pay on my water bill after the latest water rate hike?
When you add together both rate increases, a household that uses 3,000 gallons of water today would pay $37.18. On April 1, you will pay $43.68 for the same amount of water.
The Houston Public Works Department sent this table to explain the difference in your rates depending on how much water you use each month.
This amount does not include drainage and solid waste charges on your water bill.
To see KPRC 2 Investigates work on billing errors and outrageous water bills in our DRAINED series, click here.
