Woodlands Water customers will pay about 20 cents more per month after the utility increased its surface water use from 50% to 55% on Oct. 1.

The change raises the Surface Water Conversion Fee from $2.81 to $2.83 per 1,000 gallons. The fee is a pass-through charge that covers what Woodlands Water pays the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) for treated Lake Conroe water, according to Woodlands Water.

For a household using 10,000 gallons a month, that works out to roughly $2.40 more per year. The utility called it the only rate change on water bills for fiscal year 2026–27.

Why the shift matters

Montgomery County once drew 100% of its drinking water from underground aquifers. Population growth drove demand up and groundwater levels down.

Overpumping can cause the land surface to sink, a process called subsidence. That worsens flooding and damages infrastructure, Woodlands Water said.

The Texas Legislature created the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) in 2001 to protect the county's groundwater. To meet the district's requirement to cut pumping from the Gulf Coast Aquifer, the SJRA launched a countywide Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP) in 2010.

Between 2011 and 2015, the SJRA built a 30-million-gallon-per-day treatment plant at the Lake Conroe Dam and 55 miles of pipeline to deliver treated surface water to utilities across the county.

A decade of blending

Woodlands Water began receiving surface water in September 2015, starting at about 35% surface water and 65% groundwater. The utility moved to a 50/50 blend in 2022. The Oct. 1 increase to 55% surface water is the next step in that long-term strategy, the agency said.

No other rate changes are planned.

Earlier bill changes

Customers saw a separate adjustment on bills starting Feb. 1 when the SJRA reduced the Surface Water Conversion Fee by $0.11 per 1,000 gallons, from $2.92 to $2.81. At the same time, Woodlands Water added a new Infrastructure Renewal Fee of $0.11 per 1,000 gallons. The two changes offset each other, producing no net increase at the time.

The Oct. 1 bump to $2.83 is a separate, additional change on top of that February reset.

How the fee appears on bills

The Surface Water Conversion Fee is listed as a line item on every Woodlands Water bill. The full amount goes directly to the SJRA with no markup from the utility, according to Woodlands Water. The SJRA, created in 1937, has no taxing authority and is funded solely through contracts with wholesale customers, according to the authority's rate page.

Residents with questions can contact Woodlands Water at (855) 426-7283 or [email protected].