Fair Water Texas filed two important submissions with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on October 19, 2026—continuing our commitment to stand up for Aqua Texas customers across the state who are facing unprecedented rate shock, affordability concerns, and unanswered questions about wastewater billing practices.
These filings reflect the volunteer effort FWT is making on behalf of intervenors and ratepayers statewide. With no paid staff, no attorneys, and only $250 in donations thus far, FWT continues to do the work that otherwise would go undone: analyzing billing data, identifying systemic issues, elevating customer hardships, and ensuring the Commission has the information it needs to make a just and reasonable decision.
Supplemental Filing: Accuracy Matters—And It Shows Why Remand Is Needed
FWT submitted a supplemental correction to its October 8 winter‑averaging analysis. The updated numbers refine the estimated wastewater overcharges in Eagle Mountain Lake, but the core issue remains unchanged: Aqua Texas applies wastewater volumetric charges to total metered water use—even when a large portion of that water never enters the wastewater system.
The supplemental filing simply ensures the record is accurate. But the reason accuracy matters is the same reason FWT is asking the Commission to reopen or remand the case:
Only Aqua Texas has access to the full wastewater billing dataset. A complete, system‑wide review is necessary to determine whether customers are being charged for wastewater service they did not receive.
Even with a limited volunteer‑assembled sample, the corrected analysis still shows a preliminary annual overcharge estimate of approximately $207,000 for one community alone.
Reply to Aqua Texas: The Record Is Incomplete—and Customers Deserve Answers
FWT also filed a detailed reply to Aqua Texas’s October 15 response opposing reopening the record. Aqua Texas claims its wastewater rates already account for irrigation and other outdoor water use—but relies on a discovery response outside the evidentiary record to make that claim.
Our reply makes three key points:
A. Material gaps remain in the record
The Commission still lacks:
- System‑specific assumptions about how much metered water reaches each wastewater plant
- Flow data and workpapers showing how those assumptions were built into the rates
- Evidence demonstrating that customers are not being charged for irrigation water
These gaps must be addressed before the Commission can determine whether the proposed wastewater rates are just and reasonable.
B. FWT’s volunteer effort cannot be compared to Aqua Texas’s $5 million rate‑case budget
Aqua Texas litigated this case with attorneys and consultants whose costs it seeks to recover from customers. FWT participated with volunteer labor and minimal donations.
Opportunity without resources is not meaningful opportunity—and ratepayers should not bear the consequences of an incomplete record simply because they lacked the ability to develop it themselves.
C. Customer hardship is real and documented
Dozens of letters filed in the Interchange describe:
- 100%+ bill increases
- 200%–300% wastewater charge increases
- Seniors on fixed incomes facing displacement
- Communities struggling to maintain fire‑suppression infrastructure
- Recurring boil‑water notices and low pressure
These impacts reinforce the need for a focused review of wastewater rate design.
What This Means for Intervenors and Ratepayers
Fair Water Texas is doing what no other party is doing: bringing forward billing data, customer evidence, affordability concerns, and rate‑design issues that would otherwise remain unexamined.
Our filings ask the Commission to:
- Reopen or remand the record
- Require Aqua Texas to provide complete wastewater billing data
- Examine system‑specific assumptions about water that never enters the wastewater system
- Ensure customers are not charged for wastewater service they did not receive
This is the work FWT is doing—every day, with volunteer labor—to protect ratepayers across Texas.
Aqua Texas customers deserve a complete, accurate, and transparent record. Fair Water Texas is fighting to make sure they get one.
If you are an Aqua Texas customer and want to stay informed, participate, or share your experience, Fair Water Texas is here to help.
