BELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — After residents report going days without water, State Rep. Hillary Hickland (R) District 55 coordinates with state agencies to address possible Open Meetings Act violations and management issues at Dog Ridge Water Supply Corporation.
- State Rep. Hillary Hickland is working with multiple state agencies to address ongoing water outages affecting Dog Ridge Water Supply customers in Belton.
- Hickland reported finding several possible violations of the Open Meetings Act during her attendance at a Dog Ridge Water board meeting,
- Hickland emphasized this is not just about households but also affects ranches with livestock, calling reliable water "a fundamental need" that "must be addressed."
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Residents in Belton who receive water from Dog Ridge Water Supply Corporation have been dealing with frequent outages for years, with some going days without service and facing repeated boil water notices.
"The people of this area just want consistency and reliability when it comes to water. That is a fundamental need, and this is something that must be addressed," said State Rep. Hillary Hickland (R) District 55.
After hearing numerous complaints from constituents, Hickland is working with several state agencies to address the ongoing water issues affecting hundreds of Dog Ridge customers.
Residents have been vocal about their struggles with the company.
"There were people without water for a week," said one resident.
"I have a bucket and I live on Nolan Creek, and I have to haul water up," another resident explained.
"The water quality in general is terrible," a third customer added.
When asked if other areas in Texas face similar issues, Hickland was clear about the severity of the situation in Belton.
"Not at all to this extent. No. There is a real issue of mismanagement and customer service and transparency that has to be addressed," Hickland said.
Since taking office in 2024, Hickland has received multiple complaints about Dog Ridge Water Supply Corporation. Her concerns grew after attending one of the company's board meetings.
"When you consider water, you just want consistency, reliability, and they haven't had that for decades," Hickland said.
The District 55 representative reported finding several possible violations of the Open Meetings Act during her attendance at a Dog Ridge Water board meeting.
Hickland said when she attended the meeting the audience asked the board to speak up and she said the board replied with 'no.'
"When I attended one of the board meetings, there were multiple violations of the Open Meetings Act. I don't know if that's just a lack of understanding of the process, but there are so many opportunities to be more responsive to the customers that they serve, to be more transparent. And if someone's in a position where the easiest explanation is to point fingers or pass the blame, it's probably time to step down and let someone who's able to lead and bring about effective change," Hickland said.
25 News reporter Dominique Leh asked Dog Ridge board president Mauro Cortez about the possible violation Hickland referenced.
Cortez replied with the statement below:
"There are no violations that the board is committing to my knowledge and, if we are, it is not intentional. Also, the board speaks loud enough. The problem is that one, occasionally the A/C kicks on and is a little loud. Secondly, the people in the audience can’t stop talking amongst themselves and that is mainly why they can’t hear."
Cortez stated the "no" Hickland heard was not in reference to the board speaking louder. Instead, he said one audience member was asking to pull chairs up close to where the board was conducting business.
To address these issues, Hickland is now coordinating with the Attorney General's Office, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
"This relates to people's livelihood, it's not just individual households, there are ranches in this area, with livestock, that's not something you're going to fix with just a pallet of water, this is a necessity," Hickland said.
Hickland's team has helped coordinate support between the PUC and the Dog Ridge board for training and education to improve their operations and customer service.
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.
