The Public Utilities Division consists of approximately 1475 drinking water and wastewater professionals including engineers, scientists, facility operations and maintenance personnel and many other disciplines. Our staff maintains professional licenses issued by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and many other public health agencies. The City of Houston Water and Wastewater Utility is a regulated public health agency governed by federal and state laws. The Public Utilities Division manages our business in accordance with a three fold mission of protecting public health, protecting the environment and providing superior customer service. These core missions are captured within our organizational mission statement:

To be the nation's leading Public Utility,
champion for the environment,
providing reliable service of exceptional quality
to the most satisfied customers
in the nation.

The City of Houston drinking water and wastewater utility serves approximately 2.8 million customers daily. Our pipelines and physical facilities are geographically located throughout a four county service area, in excess of 600 square miles. We are proud of our drinking water product and services. As residents within the City of Houston community, we are committed to serve and protect the drinking water health of our customers which include our own families.

The City of Houston drinking water system maintains a "Superior" rating, the highest rating for water quality issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Our customers should be confident that our drinking water quality protects their health and well being. The City of Houston wastewater system has consistently been awarded Gold and Silver awards from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, in recognition of our ability to produce wastewater discharges in compliance with federal regulations that protect the public and the aquatic environment.

The division's operating budget for FY08 is approximately $260 million. It funds all personnel, supplies, and capital equipment needed to operate and maintain the largest utility in the state of Texas and one of the top ten Utilities in the United States. The division manages a FY08 Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Plan of approximately $275 million.

Notable projects include:

• Raw Surface Water System Expansion.
• Surface Water Purification Plant Expansion.
• Wastewater Collection System Rehabilitation.
• Neighborhood Pipeline Replacements.
• Security System Enhancements.
• Watershed Management and Source Water Protection

Under the leadership of Deputy Director Jeff Taylor, the Public Utilities Division is divided into four functional areas:

Suggestions for PUD:CLICK HERE