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- increase
Saturday, September 23, 2023
For the second year in a row the City of Fort Worth has increased wholesale water charges. Representatives of the Tarrant Regional Water District and the City of Fort Worth Water Department have indicated that a continuation of this trend should be expected.
An article posted on August 6, 2014 in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram referenced the increase and quoted officials from the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant Regional Water District, stating that the drought might intensify. Due to the cost of raw water being the major driver for water rates, they are expected to continue to increase—and double in the next 10 years. The rate increase is also directly related to the increased demand and use of water resources by all cities served by the Tarrant Regional Water District. Permanent, mandatory Stage 1 water restrictions are in effect to encourage consumers to conserve this natural resource.
The impact on Southlake customers will be 7.825% pass through increase to their water rates. This means an average residential consumer with a 1” water meter will experience approximately a $9.71 monthly increase. The same size meter for an average commercial consumer will reflect about $13.16 added to the monthly bill. Of course, exact consumption will determine the dollar amount of the increase. The charts below provide a more detailed look at the averages.
|
Residential Water Rates |
|||||
|
1″ Meter |
Gallons |
Current Rate |
7.825% |
Net Increase |
|
|
0 – 2000 |
$31.75 |
$34.05 |
$2.30 |
||
|
2,001 – 10,000 |
$3.73 |
$4.00 |
$0.27 |
||
|
10,001 – 25,000 |
$4.32 |
$4.63 |
$0.31 |
||
|
25,001 – 40,000 |
$4.61 |
$4.94 |
$0.33 |
||
|
40,001 + |
$5.38 |
$5.77 |
$0.39 |
||
|
Residential Avg |
26,640 |
$133.87 |
$9.71 |
||
|
Commercial Water Rates |
|||||
|
1″ Meters |
Gallons |
Current Rate |
7.825% Increase |
Net Increase |
|
|
0 – 3,000 |
$49.93 |
$53.55 |
$3.62 |
||
|
3,001 – 10,000 |
$3.73 |
$4.00 |
$0.27 |
||
|
10,001 – 25,000 |
$4.32 |
$4.63 |
$0.31 |
||
|
25,001 – 40,000 |
$4.61 |
$4.94 |
$0.33 |
||
|
40,001 + |
$5.38 |
$5.77 |
$0.39 |
||
|
Commercial Avg |
33,840 |
$181.52 |
$13.16 |
This information is also posted on our City website and the City will engage a number of communication mediums to inform our residents and customers of the impact to their bills.
For more information about the methodology Fort Worth used to calculate the increase, please visit their website by clicking on this link to the Fort Worth Water Department.
In early December 2013 the City of Southlake announced a water pass-through rate increase from the City of Fort Worth. This is important to Southlake residents and businesses as Southlake purchases our water from the City of Fort Worth.
Because the two cities systems are connected, when Fort Worth experiences an increase in rates, Southlake will as well. Southlake customers will start to see this pass-through increase on their utility bills beginning this month. The increase took effect in January. The increase is approximately 12% for the first 40,000 gallons consumed and 16% for consumption in excess of 40,000 gallons.
There are a number of factors that influence the development of a water rate structure, including the cost to purchase raw water. The City of Fort Worth purchases raw water from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD)which provides water throughout Tarrant County. Because population growth and water demand have made it necessary to build additional infrastructure to carry the water to local areas, TRWD increased Fort Worth’s cost of raw water by $9.3 million.
There is more detailed information and links to the Fort Worth and TRWD sites located on the City’s website at CityofSouthlake.com/UtilityBilling.