Water Utility Services

A new Drought Contingency Plan will be released in 2024. We'll take the lessons we learned from the two-year drought and use them to prepare for the future. 

We're also working on an Integrated Water Resource Plan with water capacity planning strategies for the next 100 years. The plan will include strategies to use all the water sources available. This plan will also be released in 2024

The more you save, the less you pay PLUS our water supply lasts longer! Share these tips with others!

In the Bathroom:

• No wipes, paper towels, diapers or trash should ever be flushed down the toilet.
• Take shorter showers.
• Turn off the tap while you soap, shampoo, brush your teeth and shave.

Around the House:

• Only run your washing machine and dishwasher when they’re full and don’t over-soap to reduce the amount of rinsing you need.
• Only two tablespoons of detergent will clean 12 pounds of clothes!
• Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of under running water.

In the Yard:

• Use a broom to clear leaves and grass clippings from your sidewalks and porches, instead of a hose.
• Put the clippings around your flowers and shrubs as mulch.
• Learn about composting and give it a try to reduce evaporation from your topsoil.
• Learn about rainwater harvesting to reuse water for gardening, pools and more.
• Consider zeroscaping and plant drought resistant, native plants and succulents. You’ll have some beautiful landscaping and save time on maintenance, too.

A Few More Tips:

• Find and fix leaks on your property. Repair running toilets and dripping faucets to protect your home, save you money and save water.
• Think about how you use water outside of your home, too. Use the same rules to wash your hands or flush the toilets around town. All the water comes from the same place, so it’s all precious!

Other Helpful Information:

• Texas Water Development Board
• Water IQ
• Texas Living Waters Project

• For the greatest impact to Lake Waco's water level, we need rainfall in its watershed. The watershed is a 90-mile stretch of water (the Bosque River) northwest of our lake. It is an area of land that drains or "sheds" rainfall into other bodies of water like rivers, creeks or lakes.
• However, not all water from a watershed flows out, so we need enough rain to saturate the groundwater and then run off into the lake. The health of Lake Waco depends on the watershed.
• The current lake level and upcoming forecasts determine the severity of our water restrictions. (Follow lake levels here.)

• 2022 Conservation & Drought Action Plan(PDF, 2MB)
• Full Water Conservation & Drought Contingency Plan(PDF, 2MB)
• City Ordinance

Zebra Mussels are small, but they can be a big problem in Texas lakes. They cause problems for native wildlife, your Waco Water utility and lake visitors. They multiply rapidly, clog intake pipes and they're no fun to step on!

Lake Waco is Zebra Mussel-free, so how can you help it stay that way?

• Clean your boat with a high-pressure sprayer
• Drain all your live wells
• Dry your boat in the sunlight

Smoke Testing

On October 20, Water Utility Services conducted smoke testing near North River Crossing. Underground smoke testing can help detect issues in sewer pipes. Staff force non-toxic smoke into the sewer system. As the smoke makes its way through the connected pipes, and any visible smoke in grassy areas, through cracks in the pavement or near homes can indicate cracks or flaws in pipes.

Residents whose homes might be affected by the smoke testing are notified ahead of time, but smoke should not be visible inside the home during the test. Smoke inside buildings can indicate damage to pipes, seals or vents.

In these photos, you can see the manhole where smoke is introduced into the sewer system, an open manhole at the end of the connected sewer pipes and smoke being released along the road due to damaged seals and missing caps.

Lake Brazos Dam Update

The Lake Brazos Dam repairs and improvements are mostly complete. Some vegetation restoration will still take place over the next several months, but the construction, began in October 2022, is nearing completion.

The earthen embankment had eroded over time, which threatened the stability of the dam. The project repaired that erosion and stabilized the dam, improving operations and upgrading the electrical components.

The dam is stable and up-to-date, thanks to these improvements, installation of new structures and the ability to monitor lights and water level with our SCADA system.

To set up new residential service or to transfer service, call (254) 299-CITY(2489)

Please give at least one business day's notice for new service.

You'll need:

• Your Texas Driver License number
• Your Social Security number

Residential security deposits are based on previous account history and credit history and range from $75 to $300.

$50 service fee and $12.50 solid waste administration fee will also be added to a new residential service bill.

Payments can be made using MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

If water, sewer and/or solid waste services are available at your address, charges will all be on the same bill. How convenient!

For information about new water or wastewater taps, please contact the following:

Residential Construction

• Sabrina Beck, New Construction Water & Wastewater Taps (254) 299-2464
• Garrett Gonzalez, Meter Services (254) 750-6643

Commercial

• Saeed Soltani (254) 750-8077

Water is vital to life! Your City of Waco Water Utility Services Department is committed to the protection of public health and to the quality management of water and wastewater services.

We do this through the divisions of:

• Water Distribution
• Wastewater Collection
• Water Treatment
• Water Quality Laboratory
• Water Office/Meter Shop
• Pretreatment
• Waco Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System (WMARSS)