Water and wastewater rates will increase after Colleyville City Council approves the proposal from the Trinity River Authority, which provides water treatment for the city.

The rates were discussed during the Jan. 6 council meeting. It’s a “straight pass-through,” meaning Council has to pass the new rate, Colleyville Finance Director Cassie Smith said.

“There’s nothing we can really do about it,” Mayor Bobby Lindamood said. “We could vote no but it’s not gonna do much.”

What’s happening?

The water rate will be $6.66 per 1,000 gallons, which is a 6.63% increase from the 2025 water rate, Smith said. The new wastewater rate will be $4.79 per 1,000 gallons, which is nearly an 11% increase.

The new water rate is based on the volume of treated water used, and the new wastewater rate is based on the volume of wastewater treated, per city documents.

Diving deeper

The volumetric rate is a separate component of the base rate that council approved in September, per previous reporting.

A customer’s total bill will include the volumetric rate for water and wastewater, the water and wastewater base rates and a monthly Capital Improvement Projects rate, which is a separate base rate used to fund capital projects with cash and avoid debt, according to city documents.

The water base rate for residential customers is $18.24 for 1-inch meters, which is a $0.60 increase from fiscal year 2024-25, per previous reporting. The water base rate for out-of-city customers is $22.24 for 1-inch meters.

The wastewater base rate for residential customers is $15.49 for 1-inch meters, which is a $1.07 increase from last fiscal year, according to city documents. For nonresidential customers, the base rate is $21.49 for 1-inch meters.

The capital projects rate is $5.83 per month for 1-inch meters for both in-city and out-of-city customers, per city documents.

The base rate for water and wastewater became effective Oct. 1, Smith said. Since the Trinity River Authority has a different fiscal year than the city, its new volumetric rates come in after the base rate is approved by council members.

What’s next?

Council will look at this item again at the Jan. 20 meeting for a vote, and the new volumetric water and wastewater rate will go into effect Feb. 1.