Fort Worth residents' water and wastewater charges will increase for various customers if the proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget is approved by City Council.
The Water Utility Fund for the next fiscal year is nearly $732.73 million, which is an increase of 8.7% compared to this fiscal year, according to a city news release. A portion of that budget increase includes a 3.6% rate increase for water and a 2.85% rate increase for wastewater, according to the budget proposal.
The rate changes, if approved, would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027.
The details
The increases impact both the volume and fixed monthly charges for various customers. There are no proposed changes to volume rates for customers in the first and second tiers, which are used for tasks such as cleaning and cooking. However, customers under the third and fourth tiers, who use irrigation to water lawns, will see an increase.
The impact on individual residential customers will vary based on their monthly water use, according to the city’s website. The average residential customer’s monthly bill would increase by $1.32, the release states.
The city states the average residential customer uses 7,069 gallons of water and discharges 4,450 gallons of wastewater per month.
The recommended increases to residential rates for the third and fourth tiers are intended to send a stronger conservation pricing signal on irrigation usage. The move was done to ensure each customer class pays its fair share of the cost of providing water and wastewater service, the release states.
Put in perspective
The budget saw an increase of $58 million for the upcoming fiscal year, driven by debt service payments, increased contractual services for raw water purchases and wastewater treatment from partners, group health insurance hikes and the hiring of 12 new employees, according to the release.
The increase from the Tarrant Regional Water District and Trinity River Authority of Texas is $11.4 million of the $58 million increase. The TRWD hike is 5.4% and the city is also purchasing 3.4% more due to population growth, according to the budget proposal.
TRA is increasing rates by 3.4% for the TRA Central Wastewater Treatment Plant and 1.6% for the Denton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is in Roanoke.
What else?
The budget also includes funding to replace aging infrastructure and cast iron water mains, as well as expanding the treatment capacity at Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plant and Westside Water Treatment Plant to handle growth for the city’s north and west sides.
There is also construction for the Mary’s Creek Water Reclamation Facility, a $464 million project that will treat 10 million gallons of wastewater daily in the western portion of the city once it is complete. According to the city website, the goal is to have the facility operational by the summer of 2028.
