While the city of Montgomery’s water rates are not increasing, residents can expect to pay more for water starting in November due to an increase in the city’s Groundwater Reduction Plan fee.

The city of Montgomery operates its own GRP, which was formed in 2013 to comply with groundwater use reduction regulations put into place by the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District. The GRP complies with the mandate by pumping water from the Catahoula Aquifer, an alternative groundwater source.

The city’s GRP fee, which residents pay in their monthly water bills, increased from $1.25 to $1.65 per 1,000 gallons. The new rate will be assessed during the November billing cycle, City Administrator Jack Yates said.

The need for the rate increase was discovered during an analysis by engineering firm Jones and Carter that discovered the city was using more groundwater from the Jasper Aquifer than previously thought. The difference in groundwater use was causing the city to lose about $3 per residential customer and $32 per institutional customer per month, according to the city.

“We recommended a 25-cent increase plus the surcharge [from LSGCD], and that is how we got to $1.65,” said Ed Shackelford, Jones and Carter senior vice president.