City increasing water, sewer, trash costs

Beginning Oct. 1, Mansfield Water Utilities will implement a new water rate structure designed to more closely align rates with the cost of providing reliable drinking water service while encouraging responsible water use.

The new rates affect all customer classes, including residential, commercial, industrial and multi-unit accounts. The amount of change will vary depending on customer class, meter size, and water use.

The new rate structure includes changes to monthly base rates and water usage rates. For residential customers, the current three-tier water rate structure will expand to five tiers, allowing rates to better reflect different levels of water use.

Other changes were also applied to commercial, industrial and multi-unit customers.

Mansfield's residential 2,000-gallon rate will increase to $21.58 per month ($7.88 for water, $13.70 for sewer). The rate for fiscal year 2026 was $20.96 per month ($7.68 for water, $13.28 for sewer). The 10,000-gallon rate will increase to $128.94 per month ($51.68 for water, $77.26 for sewer). The previous year's rate for 10,000 gallons was $125.84 per month ($50.68 for water, $75.16 for sewer).

For complete residential and industrial rates, click here.

The rate tables provide detailed information for each customer class, including monthly base rates and water usage rates.

Mansfield Water Utilities completed a comprehensive cost-of-service and rate study in Fiscal Year 2026 to evaluate the cost of providing water service and ensure the utility can continue maintaining and investing in the infrastructure, treatment capacity, and water supply needed to reliably service customers. This is the first Water Utilities cost-of-service study since 2012.

The study also evaluated how customer classes and rate structures could more equitably reflect the cost of providing service, while encouraging water conservation and limiting the impact on customers who use less water.

The need to increase utility rates is primarily due to increasing costs from the city’s raw water and wastewater treatment providers, Tarrant Regional Water District and the Trinity River Authority. Roughly 10% of the overall rate increase is needed to support rising operational costs and capital investment needs.

The new rates take effect Oct. 1. Because utility bills reflect water used during the previous billing period, most customers will begin seeing the new rates reflected on bills received in November. The impact on individual bills will vary based on customer class, meter size and water use.

As part of the rate study, Mansfield's water and wastewater bills were compared with those of other cities across the region. The comparisons show how Mansfield's rates stack up at different levels of water use, and across residential, commercial and industrial classes. Even with the new rates effective Oct. 1, Mansfield's water rates remain among the lowest in the region.

Click here to see a comparison to other local cities' water rates.

Bill comparisons were prepared by NewGen Strategies and Solutions using publicly available rate data as of May 2026. Actual bills vary based on water use, meter size, customer class, and other applicable charges.

The City of Mansfield supplies treated water to customers through its own facility, the Bud Ervin Water Treatment Plant. However, customer wastewater, sewer, must be pumped to Trinity River Authority regional facilities for processing. Therefore, water rates remain lower than sewer rates.

Monthly curbside trash and recycling rates will also increase by 2.39 percent beginning Oct. 1. For a typical residential customer, this represents an increase of about 46 cents per month, based on the current monthly rate of $19.23. This change is separate from the water rate study, but will appear on the same city utility bill for customers who receive these services.

Trash and recycling rates are adjusted annually based on changes in the Dallas-area Consumer Price Index, as calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This adjustment helps keep rates aligned with changes in the cost of providing trash and recycling service.

Utility bills are issued approximately every 30 days. Each bill is based on a meter reading taken approximately one week to 10 days before you receive your bill. Your bill provides details about your account, current charges, water use and payment due date.