We have had several residents inquire about the City of Richmond’s GRP line item on their water bill. Since it has been several years since the information notice was sent to everyone in the district, we would like to remind everyone of Groundwater Reduction Program (GRP) and why it’s a line item on your water bill.
The Fort Bend Subsidence District was created by the Texas Legislature in 1989 as a conservation and reclamation district (Act of May 26, 1989, 71st Leg., R.S., ch. 1045, 1989 Tex. Gen. Laws 4251). The District’s purpose is to provide for the regulation of the withdrawal of groundwater within the District to prevent subsidence that contributes to flooding, inundation or overflow of areas within the District, including rising waters resulting from storms or hurricanes, The District’s boundaries are defined as all the territory within Fort Bend County. Requirements of the Fort Bend County Subsidence District to convert thirty-percent (30%) of groundwater usage to an alternate source by 2016, and sixty-percent (60%) to an alternate source by 2025. Because Texana Plantation does not have the ability to build a Surface Water Conversion plant, (the community relies totally on groundwater pumped from two wells) the WCID #3 had to join a Ground Water Reduction Plan (GRP) to adhere to the mandates put forth by The Fort Bend Subsidence District. After much research and price comparisons, WCID #3 voted to join the City of Richmond’s Ground Water Reduction Plan. By joining this group, it allows Texana Plantation to be part of a group that is following the guidelines of reducing groundwater pumpage, while still utilizing our wells for our water supply, to not comply with the Subsidence District, WCID #3 would have incurred steep disincentive fees. Under the terms of the Agreement, the City will instead assess the annual pro-rata share of costs to the participants in the form of a per gallon pumpage fee. The fee is currently $ 2.69 per each 1,000 gallons pumped by the District. The District strives to keep its water rates as low as possible. You will now see a separate line item on your monthly water bill for the “City of Richmond GRP Fee,” and will be assessed the $2.69 per 1,000 gallons pumpage fee. This includes a ten percent increase in the fee to account for lost water and other related expenses. If the District’s annual cost increases or decreases for 2022-2023, such increase or decrease will be reflected in the monthly fee. If you have any questions regarding the information in this Notice, please feel free to contact the District’s Operator, Municipal Operations & Consulting, Inc., at 281-367-5511. You are also always welcome to attend any meeting of the Board of Directors of the District, normally held on the third Friday of each month at Ramble Creek – 7930 W. Grand Parkway, Suite 100, Richmond, Texas, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Consult the district’s website Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 (fbcwcid3.com) to see if the meeting dates, times or locations have changed. Also, please feel free to contact any of the board members – Ann Heil, Craig Johnson, Kreig Smith, Gloria Couch and Andrew Wilde.