Twenty nine Texas state representatives asked the Public Utility Commission on October 2 to investigate Aqua Texas over a proposed rate increase and the interim rates its customers are already paying, KPRC reported Tuesday, October 6. Aqua Texas is a privately owned water and wastewater utility with customers across Texas, including parts of Harris County.
What the lawmakers asked for
The letter asks the commission to reject the proposed increase, reverse the interim rates, require refunds or credits for amounts it says were not justified, change how residential sewer charges are calculated, improve transparency in rate design, and pass legislation that would block significant increases before final approval. It says sewer charges are figured on 100 percent of metered water use, including outdoor water that never enters the sewer system.
The figures in the letter, for 15,000 gallons a month, show a bill moving from $205.63 to $369.64 on a five eighths inch meter and from $265.67 to $521.51 on a one inch meter. At 20,000 gallons the letter says bills more than doubled on both meter sizes. The interim rates took effect March 9, 2026.
What customers say
KPRC’s report centers on a northwest Harris County community where residents supplied 496 bills from 57 households covering April 2024 through September 2026. The station has also reported complaints from the Richmond area.
What the company says
Aqua Texas says the tiered rate structure is designed to encourage conservation, points to about $700 million in infrastructure investment between 2004 and 2024, and describes this as its first statewide base rate change in 20 years. The company also notes that interim rates are subject to refund once the commission issues a final order. The case is pending before the Public Utility Commission as Docket No. 58124.
This is a statewide rate case rather than a Lake Houston area story, and the reporting does not establish which specific neighborhoods in Humble, Kingwood, Atascocita or Huffman are served by Aqua Texas. Area residents on a municipal utility district, on City of Houston water or on another private provider are not affected by this docket. Customers who want to know whether their own service is covered can check the utility named on their bill against the docket filings.
