In order to pay for the rising cost of providing sustainable water to The Woodlands residents, The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency is increasing water rates at all 11 of its Municipal Utility Districts.
Water rates increased by about 10 percent Oct. 1 in order to pay for $30 million in repair and rehabilitation projects to the water and wastewater systems in The Woodlands. The increase also cover the cost of surface water delivery from Lake Conroe, WJPA General Manager James Stinson said. The increase means an average customer will pay about $76 more for water this year.
"Lake Conroe was built as a drinking water reservoir. We knew at some point it would be time to utilize that resource, and the time has come," Stinson said. "To get that water to our customers, it is much more expensive than the groundwater source that we have had for the last 20-plus years. It is more expensive to treat that water and get it pumped to The Woodlands and the rest of Montgomery County."
Stinson said the WJPA is using about 40 percent of the increase to conduct water and wastewater system repairs and rehabilitation over the next five years, with the San Jacinto River Authority Groundwater Reduction Plan fees—which in September increased from $1.75 to $2.25 per 1,000 gallons used— accounting for the remainder of the rate increase.
"We have seen—that at least for the next 5 years—we have about $30 million worth of repair and [rehabilitation] that needs to be done to the wastewater system and to the water system" Stinson said. "It's critical that we get these projects completed to prevent any catastrophic failures that can result from not rehabbing and maintaining this infrastructure."
SJRA spokeswoman Ronda Trow said the SJRA GRP fees increased in order to fund construction of the multimillion dollar Lake Conroe water plant, and to pay for construction and installation of the pipeline delivery system.
"The [SJRA fees] have been increasing once a year," she said. "Most recently we had the increase to $2.25, and we will have one more increase in 2016."
Last year, the WJPA implemented a defined irrigation schedule that Stinson said, if followed properly, can help residents maintain their lawns while minimizing unnecessary water waste.
"We have so many people that overwater and waste water on their landscape," Stinson said. "That is what we are trying to promote, to water turf grass only when needed and certainly no more than twice per week during the hottest and driest part of the summer. We ask people to please try that program, and I think they will find that it will work fine."
The WJPA implemented irrigation schedule violation surcharges in June 2013.
