Fort Worth’s water department budget is growing. What does that mean for your bill?
The operating budget for Fort Worth’s water department is expected to grow by $12.1 million in 2022, but customers won’t see a corresponding increase in their rates next year.
For the second year in a row, water rates are not expected to change, the department announced on Wednesday. Rates were last increased by 4.4% in 2020, leading to an average increase of $30 per year for residents who get their water from the city.
“Investing in new technology to change business processes is resulting in operating cost savings, as well as increased revenue,” water department director Chris Harder said in a statement. “Also, growth in our customer base is helping avoid a rate increase again this year.”
The department is also spending less money on electricity and chemical costs, leading to more investment in replacing aging pipes across Fort Worth. Next year’s budget will grow to $77.9 million, with a focus on eliminating lead service lines, replacing old cast iron water mains and adding wastewater collection pipelines to prevent sewage overflows during heavy rain periods.
In May, the city reported sewage overflows in six locations across Fort Worth, including a 275,000-gallon spill near the Stockyards. Those incidents can sometimes lead to sizable fines from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Thanks to a collapsed sewer main in October 2019, the city was issued a $13,125 fine for an incident that killed approximately 755 fish in a tributary feeding French Lake. Since 2016, Fort Worth has been fined at least five times, according to the city’s compliance history with the commission.
Through a 10-year voluntary agreement with the environmental commission that began in 2017, Fort Worth has committed to improvements to the wastewater collection system. Sewage overflows have consistently decreased year over year since 2010, Harder told the Star-Telegram last August.
“We’re committed to rehabbing and replacing over 10 miles of sewer lines each year,” Harder said. “We have some of these big milestone projects that we have commitments to, but we also have our annual maintenance program that we’re committed to. With these new commitments, we anticipate seeing a further reduction in the amount of overflows.”
While rates are not set to increase in 2022, the department noted that bills could still go up depending on how much water customers use. In January, dozens of residents complained to City Council members about their soaring water bills following the installation of new digital meters.
Kara Shuror, assistant director of the department, said Fort Worth was “100% confident in the meters.” Due to their improved accuracy, digital meters have picked up on a 4.3% increase in water usage, according to the department. Shuror attributed some of the unusually high water bills to unknown leaks, over irrigation, pool maintenance or other outside watering.
Residents with concerns about high bills or water meters can call the department at 817-392-4477. About 400 bills are evaluated for error on a daily basis, Shuror told the Star-Telegram in January.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
