Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) Water and Wastewater Services
Brownsville and surrounding BPUB water and wastewater service areas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Population reference
186,738 residents in Brownsville (2020 U.S. Census; the Census Bureau QuickFacts page reports a 2020 estimate base of 186,331). BPUB's public water page describes service to Brownsville and surrounding areas, so the city population is used as a conservative public proxy rather than claiming an unsupported exact CWS population.
Billing detail
Broad public detail found
Official destination
Open provider website ↗Provider-specific findings
Billing and account research from public material
Provider-specific research notes are displayed separately from fields that contain only an unavailable-information marker. Read qualifiers in each note and verify current account terms with the provider.
- Billing frequency
- Monthly. BPUB's bill guide provides a 12-month water and wastewater usage history, and the bill estimator describes the recurring residential bill as monthly; the printed statement controls the exact meter period and due date.
- Rate structure
- Increasing block tiers with a monthly meter-size customer-service charge, and different inside-city versus outside-city schedules. The current public rate table is labeled effective October 15, 2025: for a residential meter 3/4 inch or less inside city, the monthly service charge is $16.28; consumption is $2.67 per 1,000 gallons for 0–3,000, $2.96 for 3,001–9,000, $3.65 for 9,001–16,000, and $5.51 above 16,000. BPUB's approved schedule separately lists a 5% water and 5% wastewater adjustment effective January 1, 2026, but the public table does not display a post-adjustment dated table; customers should verify the amount on the current bill.
- Residential cost reference
- Using the current official table labeled October 15, 2025 for an inside-city residential meter 3/4 inch or less, 5,000 gallons is approximately $30.21 water ($16.28 service charge plus 3,000 gallons at $2.67 and 2,000 at $2.96) plus $34.82 wastewater ($10.57 service charge plus 5,000 gallons at $4.85), or about $65.03 before city fees, taxes, a possible resaca fee, or any 2026 adjustment. At 7,000 gallons the same published schedule is about $80.65 combined. BPUB's approved schedule says both water and wastewater rise 5% January 1, 2026, but no updated public table was exposed; these figures should therefore be treated as a transparent baseline, not a guaranteed 2026 invoice.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Inside-city residential wastewater has a monthly 3/4-inch-or-less service charge of $10.57 and consumption blocks of $4.85 per 1,000 gallons for 0–7,000 gallons and $5.32 above 7,000. BPUB states that wastewater volume is typically estimated from the customer's water consumption. During high outdoor-watering months, a customer may request a wastewater cap adjustment; the current public page does not publish a winter-average formula or a universal cap amount.
- Meter reading
- BPUB's current bill guide shows actual water and wastewater meter readings, a 12-month usage graph, and an 'Estimated' indicator when an actual read was not obtained. BPUB's March 2026 customer-portal announcement says the new portal will be enhanced with Advanced Metering Infrastructure integration and more detailed, near-real-time consumption data, while the homepage advertises smart meters for accurate billing. The current public materials do not state that all water meters already transmit hourly data or publish a universal physical-reading schedule, so the rollout should be treated as active modernization rather than confirmed complete AMI coverage.
- New-account deposit
- The current BPUB connection table shows no fixed residential deposit for water/wastewater service, although the start/stop page warns that a service deposit may be required at a new location depending on payment history. The table lists a $25 residential water/wastewater service charge; it lists a $50 electric deposit, not a fixed water deposit. Commercial water/wastewater service has a $50 minimum deposit, with commercial deposits capped at one-sixth of average annual billing and payable as cash, an irrevocable letter of credit, or a surety bond. Residential deposits, when required, are applied or refunded after 12 months of on-time payment; all service charges are non-refundable.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The current connection schedule lists a $25 residential water/wastewater service charge, or a $75 same-day service charge that includes standard service charge(s) and a $50 deposit. BPUB's online service page says residential applications are typically processed in 1–2 business days, commercial applications in 2–3 business days, and a transfer may require a deposit depending on payment history. The current pages do not publish a separate transfer-only fee; customers must confirm whether same-day service or a deposit applies to the requested move.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Texas
68%
records with any overview detail
National index
50%
records with any overview detail
Coverage measures what this directory documented. It does not measure service quality, affordability, or regulatory compliance.
Research record
Broad public detail found
7 of 7 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) Water and Wastewater Services public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- invoicecloud.com reference ↗
Public URL preserved in the compiled record. Confirm its publisher, date, and applicability before relying on it.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.