New Caney homeowners shocked by water bills up to $1K in new subdivision: 'It's been rough'

NEW CANEY, Texas (KTRK) -- With neatly manicured lawns and grand community plans, the quarter to half-a-million-dollar new homes in The Trails subdivision of New Caney seemingly promise the perfect white picket fence life.

"What it costs is one thing, but this is supposed to be the best times of our lives. This is supposed to be our dream home," one resident, who asked only to be identified by his first name, Ty, said.

The new homeowner said his family's "dream" quickly devolved into a nightmare.

"It's been rough. You know we're dealing with a high water bill," he explained.

Ty and several of his neighbors gathered in new homeowner Shanna Wentzel's kitchen to share stories about their bills with ABC13.

"Our first water bill was upwards of $500, and we were getting conflicting information about the base water bill, and I know some neighbors had upwards of $1,000 water bills," Wentzel said.

ABC13 contacted the neighborhood water and wastewater provider, Texas Water Utilities, which in a statement, appeared to point their finger at residents.

"Stating that we're overwatering our yard but having a base charge of $144 without using a single drop of water seemed a bit excessive," Wentzel said.

Those "base" charges include system improvement charges and pass-through charges.

"There seems to be a supply and demand issue where there's not enough water. So, we're being charged with a pass-through fee where they're getting water from someone else," Wentzel said.

Texas Water Utilities confirmed they are purchasing water from a third party, and charging residents for infrastructure improvements. When asked for additional information and if the charges are unique to the neighborhood, a spokesperson deferred to the neighborhood's developer. The developer has not responded to ABC13's inquiries.

"There's no transparency," Wentzel said.

Texas Water Utilities confirmed a Municipal Utility District, also known as a MUD, was created for the development. MUDs allow developers to build communities without waiting for a municipality to expand necessary infrastructure and services into them. However, the Texas Water Utilities spokesperson said water and wastewater are not included in the MUD.

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