WHCRWA purchases treated surface water from the City of Houston pursuant to a long-term water supply contract entered into in 2003 and supplemented in 2009 and 2015.

WHCRWA began delivering surface water in 2005. Since 2010, treated surface water from the City of Houston’s East Water Purification Plant has been delivered to WHCRWA through the City’s transmission system and Jersey Village Pump Station.

In June 2026, an additional source of treated surface water became available when water from the City of Houston’s Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP) began moving through the Surface Water Supply Project (SWSP) and Central Pump Station into the WHCRWA system.

WHCRWA’s water supply and distribution system has been developed to support the groundwater reduction requirements established by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District. WHCRWA successfully met the 30 percent conversion requirement in 2010 and the 60 percent conversion requirement in 2025. Work continues on additional infrastructure and conversions needed to support the 80 percent requirement in 2035.

The initial system developed for the 2010 conversion included Pump Station No. 1, ground storage tanks, and transmission and distribution lines designed to provide reliable surface water delivery. The original 2010 service area was generally bounded by Highway 290 on the north, Brittmoore Road on the east, Clay Road on the south, and Barker-Cypress Road on the west.