Montgomery County homeowners face steep water bills if Aqua Texas rate hike is approved.
HOUSTON — Imagine your monthly water bill was double, even quadruple what your neighbors just down the road pay.
That’s what some Montgomery County homeowners in the Lakes at Black Oak subdivision are facing if a proposed water rate increase gets approved by state regulators.
“It’s more than crazy, it’s more than crazy,” said Miguel Larriba.
The retired engineer has spent countless hours comparing water rate numbers in his area with a rate request by Aqua Texas, a for-profit company that serves his neighborhood. If approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Larriba said he and his neighbors would be paying double what customers pay in nearby municipal utility districts 46, 60 and 137. They would pay quadruple what homeowners in MUD 386 pay.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Larriba said.
“I don’t understand it,” said homeowner Travis Roberts.
“It is just frustrating,” added homeowner Jay Neto.
They’re not the only ones frustrated with Aqua Texas, which serves about 76,000 water customers across the state. About 3,000 have filed protests with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which is reviewing the company’s rate hike request.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said “to continue delivering reliable service, we must modernize and upgrade our treatment plants, wells, pipelines and other infrastructure. The spokesperson said it’s the first statewide base rate change in 20 years and “reflects nearly $700 million in investments from 2004 through 2024.”
But KHOU 11 Investigates discovered the rate hike proposal comes with a documented history of poor service. Records with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality show Aqua Texas issued 1985 boil water notices (BWN) across the state over the past three years. A BWN indicates the water in the distribution system may be unsafe for consumption or may pose an acute health risk, according to the TCEQ.
An Aqua Texas spokesperson said sometimes there’s an issue with their infrastructure that triggers a boil water notice, but other times it’s a contractor that breaks the water main. The spokesperson said Aqua Texas always errs on the side of caution when issuing boil water notices to protect the health of customers.
In the rate hike protest filings with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, several customers complained of poor water quality.
“The rates for the water in our area are outrageous and they want to increase for garage water and service,” Aqua Texas customer Tamara Chapin wrote.
“Our water is completely unusable,” added customer Kevin Freeman.
“Protesting the rate increase for this nasty unhealthy yellow/brown water,” wrote Deborah and George Ostrowski in their protest filing.
Some customers, like Travis Roberts, said it destroyed household appliances.
“I had to get a hot water heater replaced,” said Roberts. “I have to flush out my pipes every three to four days.
Neto shared a video he took of sediment in his shower head.
“When you look inside what you’re paying for it’s incredible,” Neto said. “Pardon my French, a crap product.”
A decision on the proposed rate increase will not come before Sept. 22. PUCT staff requested additional time to review responses from Aqua Texas regarding the administrative completeness of its application, according to the agency’s online docket.
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