What would NBU drought surcharges cost high-use homes?

High-use NBU households could pay an added $16.72 a month at 10,000 gallons under future Stage 3 drought conditions; customers pay no drought surcharge at today’s Stage 2.

By Comal.News Water, Utilities & Weather Desk · Source-linked local reporting

Published October 12, 2026 at 9:40 AM CDT3 min read

Plan effective; Stage 2 in effect

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A single drop falls from a faucet beside a blue river, with pale grass and trees along its banks. — Illustration: A dripping faucet beside a river evokes water use during drought; it does not depict a reported event.Original editorial illustration; not a photograph and does not depict the reported event or an exact property.Comal.News Visual Desk · Original illustration · Source ↗ · Comal.News original illustration ↗

A residential NBU customer using 10,000 gallons in a month would face an illustrative $16.72 drought surcharge at Stage 3 or $19.56 at Stage 4 under the plan effective Oct. 1.

New Braunfels Utilities says the City Council approved the revised drought contingency plan Sept. 28 and it took effect Oct. 1. These figures are the surcharge alone, not a full water bill.

At NBU's current Stage 2, residential customers pay no drought surcharge under this schedule. A surcharge under the illustrated rates would require a Stage 3 or Stage 4 declaration and qualifying monthly usage above 6,000 gallons. The examples describe possible future charges, not charges appearing on customers’ bills now.

What it costs

The new Stage 3 and 4 rates are $4.18 and $4.89 per 1,000 gallons, respectively, for monthly residential use above 6,000 gallons. Comal.News applied those rates to three hypothetical monthly use levels; gallons at or below the threshold do not enter these Stage 3 and 4 surcharge examples.

Illustrative monthly residential drought surcharge by use level and stage under the plan effective Oct. 1, 2026
Monthly use	Stage 3	Stage 4
6,000 gallons	$0	$0
10,000 gallons	$16.72	$19.56
12,000 gallons	$25.08	$29.34

Surcharge only; Comal.News calculations from NBU’s posted rates. The table does not show a full bill or a current Stage 2 charge.

For 6,000 gallons in a month, the illustrative surcharge is $0 at both Stage 3 and Stage 4; at 12,000 gallons, it is $25.08 and $29.34. Each additional 1,000 gallons above the threshold would add the applicable stage rate to the surcharge. Readers can check the assumptions against NBU’s published drought plan.

Who pays and who benefits

The prior schedule listed $1 per 1,000 gallons at Stage 3 and $2 at Stage 4, with thresholds of 7,500 and 15,000 gallons, respectively. Because both the rates and thresholds changed, comparing the rates alone would understate how the new schedule could affect a high-use account. NBU estimates that about 73% of customers would not be subject to the surcharges; that is the utility’s estimate, not a count of bills issued under a future drought stage.

What has to go right

The schedule puts the additional charge on qualifying use above the threshold during more severe drought stages. A household’s actual exposure would depend on its monthly use, applicable meter classification and the drought stage in force. NBU's adoption notice says Stage 5 would charge all irrigation water at $4.89 per 1,000 gallons. The table therefore does not model Stage 5.

What to watch

The next practical check is NBU’s posted drought stage. If the utility declares Stage 3 or 4, its stage notice and account-use records will determine how these conditional examples translate into charges for residential customers. NBU’s drought-plan page gives readers the current stage and the applicable schedule.

From the source record

Illustrative monthly surcharge · dollars

10,000 gal., Stage 3$16.72

10,000 gal., Stage 4$19.56

12,000 gal., Stage 3$25.08

12,000 gal., Stage 4$29.34

Surcharge alone, assuming the residential schedule applies; not a full water bill or a charge at the current Stage 2.

Comal.News calculations from NBU’s adopted Stage 3 and 4 surcharge schedule.Only monthly residential use above 6,000 gallons is included in these examples.