MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Residents on Bud Drive in Bellmead have gone weeks without running water after the City of Bellmead pulled their water meters, saying the properties fall outside its service area.
- The City of Bellmead says the service was abandoned in 2010 due to an unpaid balance, and that the properties fall within the City of Waco's Certificate of Convenience and Necessity.
- The City of Waco acknowledges the address is within its CCN but says it has no water infrastructure in the area, and that the nearest water line is more than 1,900 linear feet away — with the cost of extension falling on the property owner.
- Resident Will Rice disputes the unpaid balance claim, saying his aunt lived at the home with active, paid water service from 2011 to 2017, and two conflicting maps on the Public Utility Commission of Texas website show the address under different jurisdictions.
You can watch the full story here:
Residents along Bud Drive in Bellmead are fighting to get water connected to their homes after the City of Bellmead pulled their water meters, telling them the properties fall outside the city's service area.
Will Rice has a family home on Bud Drive that was connected to Bellmead water for more than 10 years. He recently returned to the home and tried to get his water turned back on, but the City of Bellmead informed him it no longer provides utilities to that address.
 KXXV | "They denied me water. And I asked why. They said, I do not have a meter. And I physically showed them I had a meter. So as soon as I left Bellmead, they sent a tech out to pull the meter." Bellmead resident
|
Rice is not the only resident affected. Neighbor Michael Harris is trying to build a home on his property, but his meter was also removed.
"They told me anybody on Pecan Lane, Budd Drive in this area will not get water from Bellmead, Go dig your well. Get water from the other side of the highway, whatever," Harris said.
I reached out to the City of Bellmead about why Rice's meter was pulled. Bellmead City Manager Yost Zakhary said the service to the property was abandoned in 2010 with an unpaid account balance.
"Bellmead water service at 239 Bud Drive was abandoned on January 29, 2010, with an unpaid account balance. The property is located within the City of Waco's water service area, and Bellmead does not have excess system capacity to extend service beyond its own CCN. Waco has indicated it can provide service if the property owner extends the necessary public infrastructure to the site," Zakhary said.
I also reviewed Rice's address on the Public Utility Commission of Texas website and found two different maps showing two different boundaries. One water and sewer map shows Rice's address under Waco's jurisdiction, while a separate water boundary map shows it under Bellmead's jurisdiction.
I reached out to the City of Waco for answers. The city confirmed the address falls within Waco's Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, but acknowledged it does not have water infrastructure in the area.
"The address is within the City of Waco's Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN). However, the property and surrounding area have been served water by the City of Bellmead for many years, as the City of Waco does not have water infrastructure in the immediate area. The City of Waco has provided the customer with a 'Will Serve' letter; however, the customer is responsible for the cost of extending water infrastructure to the property in accordance with City specifications. In this case, the nearest Waco water line is more than 1,900 linear feet away. In addition to the cost of materials and construction, the project would require obtaining the necessary easements to extend the infrastructure to the property," the city said.
When asked how much that extension would cost, the City of Waco said the price would depend on an engineer's design based on house specifications and the path the water line would need to take.
County Commissioner D.L. Wilson told me the responsibility should fall back on the City of Bellmead, Rice tells me Commisioner Wilson even came out to bring him water.
Rice disputes the city's account of the unpaid balance. His aunt lived at the home from 2011 to 2017 with water service and did not leave any bills unpaid, he said. I asked Zakhary why the city is no longer able to provide water to Bud Drive but did not receive a response.
Rice said he has now gone nearly 3 weeks without running water.
"So here I am, it's going on 3 weeks now, no water. We've been here too long for an outsider to come in and run us off our mothers' and fathers' property," Rice said.
"I have apartments across in front of me. That have water. I have some neighbors down the street that have water. Why am I being denied water at my residence?" Rice said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
