What Nueces River Authority does

Nueces River Authority (NRA) is a regional water authority created by the 44th Texas Legislature in 1935 under Article 8280-115 of the Texas Water Code, operating under the supervision of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Headquartered in Uvalde with a Coastal Bend Division office in Corpus Christi and a field office in Leakey, NRA serves all or parts of 22 counties across 17,000+ square miles of South Texas constituting the Nueces River basin and adjoining coastal basins. The Authority is governed by a 21-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor with Senate consent, and receives no state or federal appropriations or tax revenues - functioning instead on interest income from investments and contracted services revenue.

NRA's operational portfolio centers on hard infrastructure assets and contracted services. Physical assets include co-sponsorship of Choke Canyon Reservoir on the Frio River (20% water rights, completed 1982), the 101-mile Mary Rhodes Pipeline transmitting water from Lake Texana to Corpus Christi (constructed 1997 with $118.2M in water supply revenue bonds), and the Leakey Regional Wastewater Treatment System with 12.4 miles of collection pipe, 7 lift stations, a sequencing batch reactor plant at 250,000 GPD capacity (expandable to 400,000 GPD), and 193 acres of spray fields. Service offerings include the Texas Clean Rivers Program water quality monitoring partnership with TCEQ, regional water planning as administrator for Coastal Bend (Region N) and Region L planning groups, flood planning administration for the Nueces Regional Flood Planning Group (Region 13) covering 30 counties and 24,094 square miles, a three-tier Utility Operations Assistance program for small community systems, the Up2U social marketing litter prevention campaign reaching 120,000+ people since 2004, K-12 classroom education aligned to Texas TEKS, the Harbor Island Desalination Project in planning, Arundo donax invasive species control, and OSSF septic system assistance funded through EPA grants via TCEQ. Revenue streams take the form of contracted services, investment income on operating funds, and bond or grant financing for major water supply, treatment, and pollution control projects repaid through project revenues.

Name

Nueces River Authority

Legal name

Nueces River Authority

Website

https://nueces-ra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nueces River Authority is a Texas state water authority (est. 1935) serving 22 counties across 17,000+ square miles of South Texas with water supply, wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, and regional water and flood planning services funded through contracts, investments, and bonds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Sourcing & Abstraction (Surface Water, Groundwater, Intake Works) (EUANAAAA)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Wastewater treatment services
• Regional water planning
• Flood planning services
• Water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Uvalde

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contracted Services: Primary revenue stream from contracted services to municipalities, counties, and water/wastewater systems within the service area. Includes utility operations assistance, planning services, and project administration.
2. Investment Income: Interest income from investments of operating funds. NRA receives no state or federal appropriations or tax revenues.
3. Bond Financing: Authority may issue bonds for water supply, water treatment, and pollution control projects. Bonds are repaid through project revenues.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Nueces River Authority is a Texas state water management agency that delivers water resource stewardship, wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, and regional water/flood planning services across 22 South Texas counties. Its commercial offerings include contracted utility operations assistance to small communities, wholesale water delivery via the Mary Rhodes Pipeline to Corpus Christi, the Leakey Regional Wastewater Treatment System, and planning administration for state-mandated regional water and flood plans. Education and outreach (Up2U campaign, classroom watershed programs) and publications (Your Remarkable Riparian guides) extend its public-service mission.

Product overview

Nueces River Authority is a Texas state water management agency (created 1935) that offers a portfolio of water resource services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the Leakey Regional Wastewater Treatment System for municipal wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring through the Texas Clean Rivers Program, regional water and flood planning services for South Texas, and utility operations assistance for communities. Educational programs include the Up2U litter prevention campaign reaching 120,000+ people and classroom education for 5th and 7th graders. The authority also operates desalination initiatives (Harbor Island), invasive species control (Arundo donax), and publishes riparian management guides. Services are delivered through six operational divisions: Education, Finance & Administration, Operations, Planning, Resource Protection, Utilities, and Water Quality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leakey Regional Wastewater Treatment System Complete wastewater treatment system serving the City of Leakey and surrounding areas, comprising approximately 12.4 miles of collection pipes, 7 lift stations, a sequencing batch reactor plant with 250,000 GPD capacity expandable to 400,000 GPD, 2 effluent holding ponds, and 193 acres of spray fields.
• Texas Clean Rivers Program (NRA Basin) Water quality monitoring and assessment partnership with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to identify water quality problems, track 29 impaired streams, and develop corrective measures across the Nueces Basin and adjoining coastal basins.
• Regional Water Planning Services (Region N) Administration of regional water planning for the Coastal Bend (Region N) Regional Water Planning Group, including water supply needs assessment and drought planning delivered under Texas Water Development Board oversight.
• Nueces Regional Flood Planning (Region 13) Flood planning services for 30 counties covering 24,094 square miles, developing regional flood plans for inclusion in the Texas State Flood Plan and coordinating nature-based flood mitigation with TWDB's $3.3B Flood Infrastructure Fund.
• Water and Wastewater Utility Operations Assistance Three-tiered contracted service program (System Condition Assessment, Operations Assistance, and Full-Service Operations) helping small and mid-sized communities optimize water and wastewater facilities, achieve regulatory compliance, and reduce costs.
• Classroom Watershed Education Program Watershed-based educational program for 5th and 7th grade students in basin schools, using hands-on activities and scaled models (e.g., 7-foot basin model) to teach water resources, pollution prevention, and conservation.
• Up2U Litter Prevention Campaign Social marketing campaign promoting personal responsibility for environmental protection and litter prevention across Gulf of Mexico watersheds, distributing mesh litter bags and educational materials from Nueces headwaters to the coast and reaching over 120,000 people since 2004.
• Harbor Island Desalination Project Seawater desalination project to develop a new water supply for South Texas, currently in planning and development with industry partnership engagement.
• Arundo Donax Control Program Invasive species control program targeting Arundo donax (giant reed) on upper Nueces basin rivers and creeks, delivered as a multi-year Pull. Kill. Plant. collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
• OSSF (Septic System) Assistance Program Free septic system pump-out, inspection, repair, and replacement program for eligible property owners in Jim Wells, Nueces, and San Patricio Counties, funded by an EPA grant through TCEQ.
• Your Remarkable Riparian Publications Field guide and owner's manual for riparian plant identification and management, covering riparian areas across most of Texas and available for purchase ($44 per set or $330 per box).

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 120,000 people through Up2U litter prevention campaign since 2004
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• City of Corpus ChristicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982Long-term partnership including co-sponsorship of Choke Canyon Reservoir (NRA owns 20% water rights), Mary Rhodes Pipeline construction ($118.2M bond financing), and water supply operations. NRA works with City to protect water quality and supply for Coastal Bend region.
• Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical partner in expanding Up2U litter prevention campaign to Texas coast. CBBEP secured funding and implemented outreach efforts for coastal market delivery of campaign materials to beachgoers and coastal communities.
• Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState's lead water planning and infrastructure financing agency. NRA serves as administrative agency for Regional Water Planning Groups and Flood Planning Groups under TWDB programs. Coordinates $3.3B Flood Infrastructure Fund.
• Port of Corpus Christi AuthoritymajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Project Manager for Mary Rhodes Pipeline construction, the 101-mile water transmission line from Lake Texana to Corpus Christi.
• Texas A&M University (Center for Coastal Studies and Water Supply Studies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with university researchers on water quality programs, Bring Baffin Back program, and water supply studies for the region.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Pull. Kill. Plant. invasive species control project targeting Arundo donax along Nueces Basin rivers through Statewide Aquatic Vegetation and Invasive Species Management Program.
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory supervisor of NRA. Partner in Texas Clean Rivers Program where NRA conducts water quality monitoring, assessment, and stakeholder participation under contract with TCEQ.
• Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in rainwater harvesting demonstration projects on 21 school campuses within 7 basin counties, implementing water conservation education.
• Nature Conservancy of TexasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Nueces Basin Scaling Up Nature Based Solutions (SUNS) project. Conservancy pledges to contribute in-kind services for developing nature-based flood mitigation strategies.
• South-Central Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region L)majorOthersNRA staff serve as voting members of Region L, facilitating coordination between contiguous regional water planning groups.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lower Colorado River Authority: Larger Texas river authority with power generation, water supply, and environmental services across the lower Colorado basin. Comparable in statutory model and multi-purpose basin management, though significantly larger in scale and asset base than NRA.
• Tarrant Regional Water District: Regional Texas water entity providing wholesale water supply, flood control, and recreation services. Directly analogous to NRA in wholesale water-supply orientation, reservoir/pipeline asset ownership, and municipal contract-based revenue.
• Brazos River Authority: Texas river authority managing water supply, wastewater, and reservoir operations across the Brazos basin. Closely analogous to NRA's combined role as water-rights holder, infrastructure operator, and regional planning coordinator.
• Trinity River Authority: Texas river authority providing water supply, wastewater treatment, and recreation services across the Trinity basin. Directly comparable in statutory remit, infrastructure ownership (pipelines, treatment plants), and contract-based revenue model.
• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority: Texas river authority created by the state legislature to manage water resources across the Guadalupe and Blanco basins. Directly comparable to NRA in statutory mandate, basin-focused water supply/wastewater/quality services, and bond-financed infrastructure model.
• San Antonio River Authority: Texas river authority responsible for water resource protection, conservation, and management in the San Antonio River basin. Closely analogous to NRA in operating model, regional planning scope, and clean-rivers / education programming.
• Colorado River Municipal Water District: Texas water district providing wholesale water from reservoirs to West Texas cities. Comparable in scale and asset-driven revenue model, particularly regarding pipeline infrastructure and municipal water contracts.
• Sabine River Authority: Texas river authority managing water supply, conservation, and water quality across the Sabine basin. Directly comparable in statutory structure, clean-rivers program participation, and contracted utility services to municipalities.

Regional players

• Harris County Flood Control District: Special-purpose district managing flood planning and drainage infrastructure in the Houston region. Comparable to NRA's flood-planning division (Region 13) in regulatory mandate and infrastructure financing, though focused on urban flood control rather than basin-wide water supply.

Others

• Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program: Non-profit partner of NRA on the Up2U litter-prevention campaign and other coastal water-quality outreach. Adjacent ecosystem participant with overlapping water-quality and education missions in the Coastal Bend region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8VoWsU1tvWXauG5XR7R0hA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nueces-river-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nueces River Authority