Who provides water and sewer service in Greater Houston?
Service comes in layers. A retail provider runs the local system and sends the bill. Many retail providers buy surface water from a wholesale authority. Subsidence districts set the groundwater rules behind that shift.
What does the City of Houston provide?
Houston Water, part of Houston Public Works, provides drinking water and wastewater service. It reports about 2.2 million customers a day across a four-county service area of more than 600 square miles. Surface water comes from Lake Houston, Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. Groundwater comes from wells in the Evangeline and Chicot aquifers.
Houston also sells water to other utilities. Under City Code, Houston Water offers contracts for the sale of treated and untreated water.
Who serves suburban cities?
Many suburban cities run their own water and sewer utilities. Deer Park owns a surface water treatment plant. It buys raw Trinity River water from the City of Houston, delivered through the Coastal Water Authority. Galveston and Texas City are customers of the Gulf Coast Water Authority.
Who serves unincorporated areas?
Cities are usually required to provide water and sewer service to their residents, and counties are not. In unincorporated Harris County, municipal utility districts fill that role. A district such as Harris County MUD No. 188 is responsible for water, sanitary sewer and drainage infrastructure within its boundaries. See What is a MUD?
What do regional water authorities do?
Regional water authorities are wholesale suppliers created by the Legislature. They are not taxing entities. They charge fees per 1,000 gallons of groundwater pumped or surface water delivered, and retail providers pass those fees to customers on water bills. Their main job is meeting subsidence district groundwater reduction rules.
Why is the region moving off groundwater?
The Legislature created the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District in 1975 to regulate groundwater withdrawal in Harris and Galveston counties and end subsidence. The Fort Bend Subsidence District, created in 1989, regulates groundwater in Fort Bend County. Its 2025 plan limits groundwater to 40 percent of a permittee’s total demand in Regulatory Area A from January 1, 2030.
| Provider | Type | Area served | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Water (Houston Public Works) | City utility; retail and wholesale | City of Houston and wholesale customers in a four-county area | Houston Public Works |
| North Harris County Regional Water Authority | Regional water authority | MUDs, small cities and well owners within its boundaries in north Harris County | NHCRWA |
| West Harris County Regional Water Authority | Regional water authority | About 232 square miles, with more than 150 MUDs and the City of Katy inside its boundaries | WHCRWA presentation to HGSD, 2025 |
| Central Harris County Regional Water Authority | Regional water authority | 11 member districts north of Houston | CHCRWA presentation to HGSD, 2025 |
| North Fort Bend Water Authority | Regional water authority | Northern Fort Bend County and parts of Harris County | NFBWA; S.B. 1798 (2005) |
| Coastal Water Authority | Raw water conveyance | Untreated surface water to Houston, Baytown and Deer Park | Coastal Water Authority |
| San Jacinto River Authority | River authority | San Jacinto River watershed outside Harris County | SJRA |
| Gulf Coast Water Authority | Water authority | Brazoria, Fort Bend and Galveston counties | GCWA |
| Harris-Galveston Subsidence District | Groundwater regulator | Harris and Galveston counties | HGSD |
| Fort Bend Subsidence District | Groundwater regulator | Fort Bend County | FBSD |
The North Harris County authority has a long-term supply contract with the City of Houston. The West Harris County authority contracts with Houston for raw water and treatment capacity. The Central Harris County authority holds supply contracts with Houston and the North Harris County authority. The San Jacinto River Authority sells water and wastewater services to retail utilities and industrial customers.
How do I find my water provider?
- Your water bill. The bill comes from the retail provider, and any regional authority fee appears on it.
- Your taxing units. The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District’s tax rate list includes MUDs and other water districts. In Harris County, the appraisal district points owners to the property tax database for each entity that taxes a property.
- The TCEQ Water District Database. It can be searched by district name, county and address, and includes service area maps.
- City utility pages. Inside city limits, the city’s public works or utilities department is usually the provider.