Coastal Water Authority

What Coastal Water Authority does

Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is a conservation and reclamation district and governmental agency created by Special Act of the 60th Legislature of the State of Texas in 1967, operating as a political subdivision of the state across Harris, Chambers, and Liberty Counties. CWA provides untreated surface water conveyance and delivery to three municipal customers — the City of Houston, Baytown, and Deer Park — and approximately 100 industrial and agricultural customers across Southeast Texas. The Authority is governed by a seven-member Board, with four directors appointed by the Mayor of Houston and three by the Texas Governor, and is funded exclusively through water conveyance contract revenues and revenue bond issuances, having no power of taxation.

CWA's core asset base is a portfolio of large-scale water conveyance infrastructure delivering up to 1.5 billion gallons per day. Key facilities include the 22-mile Main Canal (1.3+ BGD capacity), the Lynchburg Pump Station (1,172 MGD across 16 pumps), the 500 MGD Capers Ridge Pump Station, the 23.5-mile Luce Bayou earthen canal completed in 2020, the Bayport Water System, the Red Bluff Water Treatment Plant (6.5 MGD, expandable to 13 MGD), and the Trinity River and Lake Houston facilities operated under contract with the City of Houston. The Authority is currently executing a Capital Improvement Plan (2024-2028) comprising over $5 billion in water infrastructure projects. Operationally, CWA runs a SCADA-based monitoring network with sensors measuring flow, pressure, vibration, run times, and power usage, supported by an OpenGov asset management platform and an in-progress AI/ML layer for predictive analytics and operator decision support, including a custom AI chatbot.

CWA does not operate a commercial marketing or pricing model; instead, it functions as a regulated monopoly utility with revenue derived from long-term water conveyance contracts with the City of Houston and industrial customers. Bond issuances fund major capital acquisitions and infrastructure buildouts (notably $10 million in 1979 for the Bayport system and $3.745 million in 1979 for the Red Bluff plant). The Authority has no parent company, no private equity ownership, and does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing.

Name

Coastal Water Authority

Legal name

Coastal Water Authority

Website

https://coastalwaterauthority.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Coastal Water Authority is a Texas governmental water authority, founded in 1967, that conveys up to 1.5 billion gallons per day of untreated surface water to the City of Houston, Baytown, Deer Park, and approximately 100 industrial and agricultural customers across Harris, Chambers, and Liberty Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Sourcing & Abstraction (Surface Water, Groundwater, Intake Works) (EUANAAAA), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Raw water supply
• Water infrastructure
• Interbasin water transfer
• Municipal water services
• Industrial water delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coastal Water Authority provides untreated (raw) surface water to municipal, industrial, and agricultural customers in Southeast Texas. Water is withdrawn from Lake Houston and the Trinity River, conveyed through a system of pump stations, pipelines, canals, and the Red Bluff Water Treatment Plant, and delivered under contract to the cities of Houston, Baytown, and Deer Park plus approximately 100 industrial and agricultural users across Harris, Chambers, and Liberty Counties.

Product overview

Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is a government water utility providing untreated surface water services across Harris, Chambers, and Liberty Counties in Southeast Texas. Rather than a single product, CWA operates a portfolio of water conveyance, treatment, and distribution infrastructure. Core services include surface water delivery to municipalities (Houston, Baytown, Deer Park) and approximately 100 industrial/agricultural customers. The infrastructure portfolio includes: the Bayport Water System (distribution to Bayport Industrial Complex), Red Bluff Water Treatment Plant (industrial water treatment), Lake Houston Facilities (water transport), Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer (500 MGD pump station and canal system), Lynchburg Pump Station (1,172 MGD total capacity), Main Canal (22 miles, 1.3+ BGD capacity), and Trinity River Facilities (water conveyance). CWA is implementing AI/ML technologies including pump station automation, predictive analytics for failure prediction, and a custom AI chatbot for operator decision support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surface Water Conveyance Services Wholesale supply of untreated surface water from Lake Houston and the Trinity River to municipal, industrial, and agricultural customers across Harris, Chambers, and Liberty Counties in Southeast Texas under long-term water conveyance contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deliver up to 1.5 billion gallons per day of surface water to the City of Houston and industrial customers
• +6 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lower Colorado River Authority: Texas river authority that supplies raw and treated water, manages water infrastructure, and provides wholesale water services — directly comparable governmental, contract-based water conveyance and supply model, though operating in the Lower Colorado basin rather than the Trinity/San Jacinto region.
• Brazos River Authority: Texas conservation and reclamation district operating reservoirs, pump stations, and raw-water conveyance infrastructure for municipal, industrial, and agricultural customers — closely mirrors CWA's statutory structure, customer mix, and infrastructure-driven operating model.
• Trinity River Authority of Texas: Regional water authority operating on the same Trinity River basin that supplies CWA via Luce Bayou, providing raw-water and wastewater treatment services to municipalities and industries — directly comparable in geography, customer base, and statutory mission.
• San Jacinto River Authority: Texas conservation district operating Lake Conroe and raw-water supply infrastructure for municipal and industrial customers in the greater Houston region — competes in an adjacent watershed and serves overlapping end customers, making it a natural regional peer.
• Tarrant Regional Water District: Large Texas regional water district delivering raw water to municipalities and industries in North Texas via reservoirs, pipelines, and pump stations — comparable in scale, statutory structure, and raw-water-only service model to CWA.
• Upper Trinity Regional Water District: Regional water district providing wholesale treated and raw water to North Texas municipalities — comparable governmental status, regional raw-water delivery focus, and contract-driven revenue model.
• Gulf Coast Water Authority: Texas water authority supplying untreated surface water from the Brazos River to industrial, agricultural, and municipal customers in Southeast Texas — directly comparable geography, raw-water-only model, and customer mix anchored by industrial users.
• Sabine River Authority: Texas river authority operating reservoirs, pump stations, and water supply infrastructure for industrial, municipal, and agricultural customers along the Sabine River basin — comparable statutory authority and contract-based raw-water service model.

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility serving ~14 million people across multiple states — comparable end-market of water utility services, but operates as an investor-owned multi-state regulated utility rather than a single-region governmental raw-water authority.

Others

• Xylem Inc. Global water technology company providing pumps, smart metering, SCADA, and digital solutions for water utilities — not a direct competitor but a key technology supplier and ecosystem peer given CWA's SCADA modernization and AI/ML pump-station initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastal-water-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Coastal Water Authority