10.60% → 9.18%
Return on equity
Aqua asked for 10.60%. Staff and the judges say 9.18%. OPUC, the state's consumer advocate, argued for 6.98%. On September 21 the judges refused to go lower.Source [13]Source [5]Source [15]Source [9]
Aqua Texas rate case / PUCT Docket 58124
Customers are still getting crushed.
Since March 9, Aqua Texas has billed the rates from its own application. Usage prices roughly doubled. The only filed lower prices are about 5% cheaper. The Commissioners haven't voted.
$269.10 to $542.5440,000 gallons a month, base + water usage. +101.6%.Source [21]Source [12]Source [11]
“retail public utilities are by definition monopolies in the areas they serve.”
You can't switch water companies. Regulation is supposed to stand in for competition.
Same water. Nearly double the price.
Monthly base charge plus water usage on a 5/8-inch residential meter. "Before" is the old Legacy Southwest A tariff.
| Gallons a month | Before | Now (interim) | Increase | Staff's proposal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $79.10 | $103.50 | +$24.40 +30.8% | $97.87 +23.7% vs. before |
| 20,000 | $134.10 | $240.70 | +$106.60 +79.5% | $227.61 +69.7% vs. before |
| 30,000 | $201.60 | $391.62 | +$190.02 +94.3% | $370.32 +83.7% vs. before |
| 40,000 | $269.10 | $542.54 | +$273.44 +101.6% | $513.03 +90.6% vs. before |
Leaves out SIC charges, old tax credits, regional pass-through charges, fees and sewer. Your bill will differ.Source [21]Source [12]Source [11]Source [14]
Price per 1,000 gallons
| Charge | Before | Now (interim) | Staff's proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly base | $44.85 | $34.90 | $33.00 |
| First 5,000 gal | $2.85 | $5.488 | $5.1896 |
| Next 5,000 gal | $4.00 | $8.232 | $7.7840 |
| Next 10,000 gal | $5.50 | $13.720 | $12.9740 |
| Over 20,000 gal | $6.75 | $15.092 | $14.2710 |
The base charge went down. Usage prices roughly doubled. The more water you use, the worse it gets.
Staff's proposal barely moves it
PUCT Staff's April price table is the only filed set of lower prices. It's about 5% below interim. The judges' adjusted prices haven't been calculated, so the final number could land elsewhere.Source [14]
Every old schedule lands at $240.70
20,000 gallons, base + usage, before vs. now.Source [12]
- Legacy Southeast$105.00+129.2%Source [20]
- Legacy Southwest B$111.60+115.7%Source [21]
- Legacy Southwest A$134.10+79.5%Source [21]
- Legacy North$155.36+54.9%Source [19]
The judges trimmed it. They didn't fix it.
Staff proposes. Judges recommend. Commissioners decide. This is where the recommendation stands.
$20.97M
Kept out of rate base
Two work orders Aqua couldn't back up. That's an investment balance, not $21 million a year off bills. The judges rejected wider cuts over Aqua's record-keeping.Source [6]Source [9]
$488,421
Extra yearly cut on Sept. 21
Depreciation on those same two work orders. It was the only meaningful cut the judges added after the objections.Source [9]
$5.01M
Aqua's case costs, billed to you
The judges recommend letting Aqua recover what it spent on this case through a monthly per-customer surcharge over 24 months.Source [9]
100%
Of metered water used to price sewer
Sewer usage charges are based on every gallon through the water meter, including lawn and pool water. Aqua says its rates account for that. Intervenors say nothing in the filing shows it. A request to reopen the case over this is pending.Source [17]Source [18]Source [16]
Not set
Refund of interim charges
Only the gap between interim and final rates, back to March 9. No amount or date is set. Aqua reserves the argument that it owes no refund at all.Source [11]Source [3]Source [41]Source [8]
29 lawmakers objected. That's pressure, not a veto.
On October 2, Rep. Cody Harris, chair of House Natural Resources, and 28 other House members asked the Commission to:Source [33]
- Reject the increase and base rates only on costs Aqua has proven.
- Reverse interim rates and refund what isn't justified.
- Price sewer fairly, such as with winter averaging.
- Explain how statewide consolidation fits the Commission's own preliminary order.
- Stop increases before final approval. They plan to file a bill next session.
Our read
What it can't do
- Order an outcome. The Commissioners must decide on the hearing record.
- Reach back. A 2027 law would most likely apply to future cases only.
- Claim a majority. It's 29 of 150 House members.
What it can do
- Make the lowest defensible numbers the safer vote.
- Add weight to the request to reopen the case over sewer billing.
- Keep full refunds on the table.
- Change the rules before Aqua's next rate case.
Higher bills. Same problems.
Higher prices haven't bought better service. These are Aqua Texas boil-water notices we could verify.Source [24]Source [26]Source [27]Source [25]
| Date | System | Notice | Later status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Resort at Eagle Mountain Lake Tarrant County | Boil water | Not verifiedSource [37]Source [38]Source [39] | |
| Woodcreek 1 Hays County | Boil water | Not verifiedSource [28]Source [25]Source [26] | |
| Maywood Acres Liberty County | Boil water | Aqua says liftedSource [29]Source [25]Source [26] | |
| Carrizo Water Henderson County | Boil water | Not verifiedSource [30]Source [25]Source [26] | |
| Astro - Niagra Fort Bend County | Boil water (planned) | Aqua says liftedSource [31]Source [25]Source [26] | |
| The Woodlands Parker County | Boil water | Aqua says liftedSource [32]Source [25]Source [26] |
Partial log: five records from Aqua's public outage map and one Aqua notice posted by an HOA, checked September 11, 2026. Missing records don't mean a community had no problems. One row per event. A boil notice can be precautionary and isn't proof of contamination. This is a historical log, not a live alert service.
How we got here
-
Request
Aqua asks for $29.15 million more a year
A statewide water and sewer increase.Source [10]
-
Order
A judge denies interim rates
SOAH turns down Staff's request to set interim rates until a final order.Source [2]
-
Event
The Commissioners reverse the judge
They find the increase could cause customers unreasonable hardship and require interim rates until a final decision.Source [3]
-
Event
Aqua starts billing its requested rates
The interim rates are the ones in Aqua's own application, subject to refund. Aqua reserves the argument that no refund is owed.Source [11]
-
–Event
The hearing
Aqua, Staff and five intervenor groups make their case. The record closes May 22.Source [4]
-
Recommendation
The judges' Proposal for Decision
9.18% return on equity, $20.97 million kept out of rate base, and one statewide tariff.Source [4]Source [5]Source [6]Source [7]
-
Deadline
Objections to the recommendation
Aqua wants more. OPUC and intervenors want deeper cuts.Source [22]Source [13]Source [15]
-
Recommendation
The judges hold their ground
They reject the main objections from both sides, add a $488,421 yearly cut and send the case to the Commissioners.Source [9]
-
Order
Late sign-ups are turned away
The Commissioners decline to take up late requests to intervene, and do it again in October.Source [34]Source [35]
-
Event
29 House members demand relief
They ask the Commission to reject the increase, reverse interim rates and order refunds.Source [33]
-
Request
Request to reopen the case over sewer billing
Fair Water Texas asks for a remand. Aqua opposes it. The Aligned Intervenors support it. No ruling yet.Source [16]Source [17]Source [18]
-
Our check
Latest check: no vote scheduled
No final order and no Commission meeting date in the docket through item 5,038.Source [1]
What you can do
File a written comment
It's how the public weighs in on a rate case. Stick to your own facts, like an old bill next to a new one with similar usage.
Comments are public. Black out account numbers. A comment isn't evidence and doesn't make you a party.Source [23]Source [44]Source [46]
Tell your state legislators
29 House members signed the letter. Check whether yours did and send them your before-and-after bills.
Ask them to back next session's bill to stop increases before final approval.Source [33]
Know the meeting rules
The public can't speak about a contested case like this at a Commission meeting. Only parties can ask for oral argument.
A written comment is the route for everyone else.Source [36]
Check your bill for a fixable error
A meter read more than two days off schedule can require lowest-tier pricing. An outage over 24 hours can reduce your base charge.
A big bill alone isn't an error. Call Aqua first, then go to the PUCT.Source [42]Source [43]Source [47]
We don't collect anything. No uploads, accounts or forms. Don't send this site your bills.
Sources
Bracketed numbers link here. Party filings are positions, not findings. The judges' recommendation is not a final order.
Docket index
Orders
- SOAH Order No. 5 - initial interim-rate denial (opens in a new tab)
- Commission Interim Order (opens in a new tab)
Judges' recommendations
- Proposal for Decision - procedural history and participants (opens in a new tab)
- Proposal for Decision - return analysis (opens in a new tab)
- Proposal for Decision - disputed work orders (opens in a new tab)
- Proposal for Decision - consolidation and rate design (opens in a new tab)
- Proposal for Decision - interim reconciliation (opens in a new tab)
- SOAH Exceptions Letter: final changes to the PFD (opens in a new tab)
Party filings and tariffs
- Application, original notice and rate filing package (opens in a new tab)
- Notice that interim rates took effect, subject to refund (opens in a new tab)
- Filed interim residential water schedule (opens in a new tab)
- Aqua's Exceptions to the Proposal for Decision (opens in a new tab)
- Clean Errata Direct Testimony of Jorge Ordonez - proposed water prices (opens in a new tab)
- OPUC's Reply to Exceptions (opens in a new tab)
- Request to remand or reopen the record over sewer billing (opens in a new tab)
- Aqua's response opposing remand or reopening (opens in a new tab)
- Aligned Intervenors' response supporting a focused remand (opens in a new tab)
Official notices, letters and guidance
- Legacy North approved water tariff (opens in a new tab)
- Legacy Southeast corrected approved tariff (opens in a new tab)
- Legacy Southwest corrected approved tariff (opens in a new tab)
- Exceptions and Replies Memorandum / SOAH Letter Date (opens in a new tab)
- Participating in a PUCT proceeding (opens in a new tab)
- Service Alerts & Disruptions (opens in a new tab)
- Aqua Texas - provider identity (opens in a new tab)
- Aqua Disruption Viewer - public data-source configuration (opens in a new tab)
- Public disruption data service - query and layer metadata (opens in a new tab)
- Woodcreek 1 - boil-water advisory record (opens in a new tab)
- Maywood Acres - advisory and lifting record (opens in a new tab)
- Carrizo Water - boil-water advisory record (opens in a new tab)
- Astro - Niagra - planned advisory and lifting record (opens in a new tab)
- The Woodlands, Parker County - advisory and lifting record (opens in a new tab)
- Letter asking the Commission to reject the increase and order refunds (opens in a new tab)
- Commission declines to take up late motions to intervene (opens in a new tab)
- Commission again declines a late motion to intervene (opens in a new tab)
- Who can speak at Commission open meetings (opens in a new tab)
Reproduced utility notices
Community corroboration
- Waterline Installation - Aqua Texas provider corroboration (opens in a new tab)
- Local Information - Fort Worth / Tarrant County (opens in a new tab)
Statutes and rules
- Legislative policy: monopoly and regulation as a substitute for competition (opens in a new tab)
- Class A interim rates and reciprocal recovery (opens in a new tab)
- Normal meter-reading intervals and lowest-block pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Billing adjustments, partial periods and interruption proration (opens in a new tab)
- Administrative record versus evidence supporting findings (opens in a new tab)
- Ex parte consultation restrictions (opens in a new tab)
- Filing form, identity, redaction and format requirements (opens in a new tab)
- Complaints, prerequisites and jurisdiction (opens in a new tab)