Water rates continue to increase for residents in the Lake Houston area as the city of Houston and regional water authorities make progress on projects that will increase the Greater Houston area’s use of surface water and decrease its use of groundwater.
This state-mandated shift from groundwater to surface water is an attempt to offset subsidence—which is the lowering of land elevation by withdrawing too much groundwater and can lead to flooding—in the Greater Houston area, said Mike Turco, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District general manager. The transition from groundwater to surface water is also necessary to keep pace with the water needs of the Greater Houston area’s growing population, he said.