The North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) was created by the Texas State Legislature in 1999. The NHCRWA is operated by an elected Board of Directors. The primary assignment is to develop and implement a strategy for complying with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s Regulatory Plan that requires a reduction in groundwater used to be more than 20% of total water demand by the year 2035. Since the NHCRWA is not a taxing entity, funding for future water supplies and the infrastructure to deliver it is accomplished through the sale of revenue bonds. These revenue bonds are paid for by monies generated from groundwater pumpage fees and water sales.
How does this affect me you ask?
NHCRWA bills the Northampton Municipal Utility District $2.40 for every 1,000 gallons of water it pumps. This fee is passed through to you based on your actual water usage plus 20% to recover district usage and maintenance events such as flushing our system. To provide some relief, the Board of Directors has compared payments made to the NHCRWA with payments received from the District’s residents, and determined that with additional conservation efforts, this amount can be reduced to 15%. Effective April 1, 2017 the NHCRWA is implementing a rate increase from $2.40 to $2.90. By reducing the percentage, residents will see an increase to $3.34 rather than $3.48 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
For more information regarding the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, please visit their website at www.nhcrwa.org.