Fort Worth Raises Industrial Wastewater Rates

City Council approved 2027 water and wastewater changes, with monitored industrial customers' per-CCF charge rising to $2.97.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Utilities

Fort Worth Raises Industrial Wastewater Rates

Live Poll

Do you expect your local area's prices to rise in 2027?

Fort Worth City Council approved 2027 water and wastewater rate changes in August 2026. The adopted wastewater schedule takes effect January 1, 2027, raising the volume charge for monitored commercial and industrial customers inside city limits to $2.97 per hundred cubic feet from $2.65.

Why it matters

The utility's cost-of-service work found the monitored commercial and industrial group's revenue fell about $1.88 million short of its cost, requiring a 10.1% increase for that class. The broader increase is tied to higher debt service, cash-funded capital work including replacing 12 primary clarifiers at the Village Creek treatment plant, and about $1.1 million in added regulatory spending, much of it for PFAS testing.

The monitored commercial and industrial class's volume rate rises about 12%, from $2.65 to $2.97 per hundred cubic feet, after the class's revenue fell about $1.88 million below its cost. The adopted schedule keeps the suspended solids charge at $0.1978 per pound while raising the BOD charge to $0.2825 per pound from $0.2697.

The players

Fort Worth City Council

The governing body of Fort Worth, Texas, which sets the city's water and wastewater rates through its code and budget decisions.

Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility

Fort Worth's major wastewater treatment plant, where the utility is replacing 12 primary clarifiers as part of its capital program.

The details

The 2027 wastewater schedule charges monitored commercial and industrial customers separately for flow, pollutant load, and meter size, with plants paying by the pound for loads above the city code's normal strength of 210 mg/L BOD and 240 mg/L TSS. A two-inch meter carries a $67.00 monthly service charge, and a dissolved-solids charge of $0.0420 per pound applies only to gas well drillers. Customers will first see the new rates on bills received in February 2027.

August 2026: City Council approves the 2027 water and wastewater rate changes.
January 1, 2027: The adopted 2027 wastewater schedule takes effect.
February 2027: Customers first see the new rates on their bills.

Industry Roadmap

The 2027 schedule builds on the strength-based pricing structure in Fort Worth's city code, which bills plants by the pound for loads above 210 mg/L BOD and 240 mg/L TSS. The adjustment reflects the same cost pressures seen across utilities in the wake of expanded PFAS testing and aging treatment infrastructure.

Monitored commercial and industrial customers inside Fort Worth city limits will pay higher wastewater charges starting with bills received in February 2027. Businesses discharging above normal-strength limits should expect the BOD and volume charges to be the largest drivers of their increase.

The takeaway

Commercial and industrial dischargers in Fort Worth should review their monitored-plant status and expected pollutant loads ahead of the January 2027 effective date. Planning for higher per-CCF and per-pound charges now can make the 2027 bills easier to absorb.