For NBU customers with a 5/8-inch meter, the fixed water charge rose $1.75 a month even at zero use; the increase grows as more water passes through higher-priced tiers.
By Comal.News Government Desk · Source-linked local reporting
4 min read
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For a 5/8-inch NBU residential water meter, the August 2026 tariff raised the monthly charge at zero use by $1.75, from $17.64 to $19.39.
That $19.39 is the water-charge floor in this model: using less water cannot reduce it. At 6,000 gallons of water use, the modeled monthly water charge rose $4.18, from $41.85 to $46.03. The comparison holds consumption steady, so it shows the price change rather than a change in a household’s habits.
From the source record
Effective Aug. 1, 2026NBU FY 2027 residential water rates
5/8-inch monthly fixed charge: $19.39. First 3,000 gallons: $2.60 per 1,000 gallons.
NBU’s FY 2027 water tariff supplies the new fixed charge and usage tiers.
These rates have applied since Aug. 1, 2026. The useful question for customers opening a bill now is which part of the increase follows them even if they conserve, and which part grows with use.
What it costs
The FY 2026 water tariff, effective Aug. 1, 2025, listed a $17.64 monthly fixed charge for a 5/8-inch residential meter. NBU’s FY 2027 table lists $19.39. In the zero-use comparison, the entire $1.75 increase is fixed. At 3,000 gallons, the modeled increase is $2.47; at 12,000 gallons, it is $12.64. Readers can check the FY 2026 water tariff against the FY 2027 water tariff.
Modeled monthly residential water charges for a 5/8-inch meter at unchanged use, FY 2026 versus FY 2027
Gallons
FY 2026
FY 2027
Increase
0
$17.64
$19.39
$1.75
3,000
$24.72
$27.19
$2.47
6,000
$41.85
$46.03
$4.18
12,000
$109.17
$121.81
$12.64
Comal.News calculations from NBU’s published tariffs; excludes taxes and drought surcharges.
Modeled monthly water charges at four unchanged use levels, FY 2026 and FY 2027
FY 2026
FY 2027
Modeled monthly water charges at four unchanged use levels, FY 2026 and FY 2027
Gallons used in a month
FY 2026
FY 2027
0
$17.6
$19.4
3,000
$24.7
$27.2
6,000
$41.9
$46
12,000
$109.2
$121.8
Same modeled consumption in both years; water charges only.
Here is how the larger water increase develops. The FY 2027 tariff charges $2.60 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000, $6.28 for the next 3,000, and $9.66 for gallons 6,001 through 12,000. A separate $2.97-per-1,000-gallon water supply fee applies only above 6,000 gallons. That means the 12,000-gallon example crosses both a higher-priced tier and the supply-fee threshold; the 6,000-gallon example does neither.
Who pays, and what does conservation change?
Wastewater has its own fixed and volume charges. The listed Residential 1 fixed charge rose from $36.19 to $38.97 a month, an increase of $2.78 even at zero modeled billable volume. Its volume rate rose from $8.51 to $9.16 per 1,000 billable gallons. At a constant modeled 4,600 billable gallons, the wastewater charge rose $5.77, from $75.34 to $81.11. The $38.97 fixed charge remains within that $81.11 illustration even if a customer cuts water use during a particular month.
Modeled monthly Residential 1 wastewater charges at unchanged billable volume, FY 2026 versus FY 2027
Billable gallons
FY 2026
FY 2027
Increase
0
$36.19
$38.97
$2.78
4,600
$75.34
$81.11
$5.77
Comal.News calculations from NBU’s published wastewater tariffs; billable volume is held constant.
NBU describes FY 2027 as the second year of a two-year rate plan approved in June 2025. It says rate revenue supports maintenance, reliability, growth-related capacity and compliance. The trade-off is visible in the tariff itself: a fixed charge collects money for service even when a customer uses little water, while higher usage still adds a larger variable charge. NBU’s Your Rates at Work explanation gives the utility’s account of why rates changed.
What has to go right?
NBU's FY 2027 operating plan projects $244.2 million in capital expenditures across the utility. It also projects $370.5 million in operating revenue and $309.6 million in operating expenses. Those are utilitywide forecasts, not the amounts added to a water or wastewater customer’s bill. The rate tables show what a given level of service costs; the financial plan sets out the larger spending picture against which future results can be checked.
What the model can tell you
The comparisons use the same water use or billable wastewater volume in each year. A customer’s actual meter size, consumption, wastewater billing average or maximum, other services, city charges, taxes and drought surcharges can change the total. To check a specific bill, start with its meter size and billed volumes, then compare the FY 2026 wastewater tariff and FY 2027 wastewater tariff alongside the water tables. The next published rate table or financial report will provide another public checkpoint for the fixed charge and NBU’s spending forecasts.
