New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
What a Plumber New Braunfels Households Call Can Tell From One Number
New Braunfels Utilities monitors meters for continuous water use and sends customers an alert when it finds some. The alert carries a rate in gallons per hour and a start date. Most people read it as bad news and stop there. It is better than that, because the utility also publishes what each band of that number probably means, which turns an alarming text message into the beginning of a diagnosis.
It also publishes the honest limit of what the alert can tell you. Some completely ordinary activities produce exactly the same reading as a fault, and the utility says plainly that it does not provide plumbing services or leak repairs. The number tells you something is running. It does not tell you what.
Read the Clock as Well as the Rate
Three Innocent Things That Produce a Leak-Shaped Reading
The utility publishes a list of common water uses that may trigger an alert, and reading it alongside the diagnostic bands is what makes the whole system useful. Filling a pool or a hot tub runs at 8 to 30 gallons per hour. A water softener regeneration cycle also runs at 8 to 30 gallons per hour, typically lasting one to two hours. An irrigation system uses about 1,500 gallons per zone, usually early morning or late evening.
Now put that beside the fault bands. A hose left running is 8 to 30 gallons per hour. That is the same band as the pool fill and the same band as the softener. So a reading in that range, on its own, proves nothing at all.
What separates them is duration and timing. A softener regeneration stops after an hour or two. An irrigation cycle runs at a predictable hour. A pool fill ends. A leak does not do any of those things, which is why the alert reports usage as continuous since a date rather than as a total. If the reading has persisted through the night and through a day when nobody was filling anything, the ordinary explanations are gone.
Before You Call Anyone
The Five Checks New Braunfels Utilities Asks You to Run First
These are the utility own published checks, in its own order, and they are worth doing because two of them find the most common fault in the lowest band without any equipment at all.
- Check the toilets
Look for running water or faulty flappers. A flapper is what sits behind the 2 to 5 gallon per hour band, and it is the cheapest thing on the whole list to put right.
- Look under sinks and around appliances
Moisture or dripping anywhere near a supply connection or a drain trap.
- Inspect outdoor spigots and hoses
This is the 8 to 30 gallon band in its most literal form, and it is frequently something that was simply left on.
- Listen with everything off
Listen for running water when no fixtures are in use. In a quiet house a supply leak inside a wall or under a slab is often audible before it is visible.
- Watch the meter
Check the water meter to see whether it is still moving when everything is turned off. That is the test that converts a suspicion into a fact.
- If none of that finds it, escalate
The utility states that if you are unable to locate the source of the water use, you may need to contact a licensed plumber or leak detection specialist for further inspection, and that NBU does not provide plumbing services or leak repairs. A reading in the 20 to 100 gallon per hour band that survives all five checks is the one the utility itself associates with a potential underground pipe leak.
The Inspection Nobody Mentions at Closing
Buying a House Here Can Trigger a Customer Service Inspection
A Customer Service Inspection is an inspection of a property water system to identify potential cross-connections and backflow hazards, and it is not only a new construction requirement. New Braunfels Utilities requires one in five published situations, and two of them apply to properties that have stood for decades.
- Before continuous water service is provided to new construction
- When there is a change in ownership or use, which is the one that catches buyers
- When significant plumbing modifications are made, which is the one that catches renovations
- If a potential contamination risk is suspected
- When no Customer Service Inspection is currently on file
The utility states that if it does not have a valid CSI certificate on record, you will receive notification requesting proof of a completed inspection. And the inspection is not carried out by the utility itself. NBU uses a contracted vendor to complete CSI certificates for new residential and commercial properties, and it names that vendor: Hardin and Associates, on 830.433.7715, with an email address and online scheduling published alongside.
Backflow, and Why Pools Are On the List
Two Mechanisms, Named, and Seven Property Types That Usually Need a Device
New Braunfels Utilities follows standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the US Environmental Protection Agency, and its explanation of backflow names both mechanisms rather than one. Back-siphonage happens when there is a sudden drop in water pressure. Backpressure happens when pressure on a private system exceeds the pressure in the public system. Those are two different failures, and a device chosen for one is not automatically right for the other.
A cross-connection is defined as any physical connection between a potable water supply and a potential source of contamination, with irrigation systems, fire sprinkler systems, pools and private wells given as examples. The properties the utility lists as commonly requiring backflow prevention are irrigation systems, fire sprinkler systems, commercial buildings, medical facilities, industrial sites, properties with auxiliary water sources, and pools and spas.
That last entry matters more here than it would in most places. Pool leak detection is one of the highest-volume plumbing searches in this market, and a pool is simultaneously a common source of expensive hidden loss and a listed backflow hazard. The utility publishes a Backflow Policy, a Backflow Prevention Maintenance Report form, a CS Inspection Certificate and a Fire Hydrant Meter Handout, and takes backflow questions on 830.608.8880.
Stage 1, Effective 28 July 2026
Which Day You May Water Depends on the Last Digit of Your Address
New Braunfels Utilities publishes a current conservation stage, and as at the effective date of 28 July 2026 it is Stage 1. The utility notes that conditions change and that drought stages may be adjusted as water supply and usage patterns improve or decline, so treat the stage below as dated rather than permanent and check the current one before planning anything.
Under Stage 1, watering with a hand-held hose, a bucket, a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose that does not spray water into the air is allowed any day and any time. Landscape watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler is limited to once per week, and the day is set by the last digit of the service address. Irrigation is permitted only before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Decorative outdoor fountains are prohibited unless they operate entirely with reclaimed water. Water waste is prohibited year round.
| Service address ending with | Irrigation watering day |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | Monday |
| 2 or 3 | Tuesday |
| 4 or 5 | Wednesday |
| 6 or 7 | Thursday |
| 8 or 9 | Friday |
There is a diagnostic use for that table that has nothing to do with lawns. If a continuous use alert shows a rate consistent with irrigation on a day that is not your watering day, something is running that should not be, and a stuck irrigation valve is one of the more common causes of a large, quiet, ongoing loss. Under Stage 2 the hand-held exemption tightens to before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m. as well.
Where the Water Comes From
Three Sources, and Two of Them Are Closed to New Permits
New Braunfels Utilities began providing water service in 1959, first from the Edwards Aquifer. The utility describes that aquifer as feeding Comal Springs, San Marcos Springs and Hueco Springs, and as responding quickly to rainfall, drought and pumping because of its highly permeable nature. It is managed by the Edwards Aquifer Authority, and no new permits are being issued.
Surface water from Canyon Reservoir and the Guadalupe River is the largest permitted volume in the portfolio, managed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Canyon Reservoir was created for flood control and dependable supply, and its water permits are fully allocated, so again no new permits are being issued. The utility states that current infrastructure capacity does not allow full use of the permitted volume, and that an expansion of the Surface Water Treatment Plant is underway and expected to be online in 2029.
The third source is the Trinity Aquifer, which the utility describes as lying geologically above the Edwards and generally producing smaller spring flows with more limited underground pathways. It also notes that some Trinity wells have higher mineral content. New Braunfels Utilities publishes a separate page about hard water, which we did not open, so no hardness figure appears anywhere on this page. If scale on fixtures or a shortened water heater life is the problem you are actually trying to solve, that is the page to ask for by name.
Building Something New
Impact Fees Are Charged at the Statutory Maximum, and Not to You
Water and wastewater impact fees are one-time charges collected during the development process to fund the infrastructure that growth requires. The utility is clear about who pays them: they are paid by developers and are not included in existing customers monthly utility bills. They may only be used for capacity-related capital improvements authorised by state law, such as treatment facilities, storage, transmission mains and collection systems.
Two things are worth knowing if you are developing here. First, Texas law prescribes a methodology that establishes a maximum allowable fee, and the utility states that it currently assesses the maximum allowable water and wastewater impact fees as adopted by the City of New Braunfels under Chapter 395 of the Texas Local Government Code. Second, new development for this purpose does not simply mean a newly constructed building. Texas statute focuses on new development that ties into utility lines and creates demand for additional capacity, which can include changes to an existing property.
We are not quoting an amount. The pages read state the methodology and the statutory ceiling but do not publish the current figures, and the fee programme is subject to a periodic review that now requires an Impact Fee Audit alongside each new study. Ask the utility for the current schedule rather than working from any number found online.
What We Do Here
Plumbing Work That Starts From the Number on the Alert
Leak detection is the service this whole page points at. The utility raises the alarm and publishes the bands, then explicitly hands the diagnosis over, and a reading in the 20 to 100 gallon per hour range that survives the household checks is the one worth acting on quickly.
Pool leak detection is separate work on separate pipework, and it matters more here than in most markets: a pool fill sits in the same alert band as a fault, and a pool is on the utility own list of backflow hazards. Fixture repair answers the flapper in the lowest band.
Sewer line repair and drain cleaning answer the blocked line, hydro jetting answers a pipe narrowed along its length, repiping and burst pipe repair answer failed supply pipework, water heater repair covers tank and tankless work in a place where some wells carry higher mineral content, commercial plumbing covers the business sites the inspection rules bite hardest on, and emergency plumbing covers the first hour. We publish no response time for New Braunfels.
Elsewhere in the region we cover San Antonio and Boerne to the west and Austin to the north, each on a different utility with a different rulebook.
Where We Work
New Braunfels Neighbourhoods and Communities
These are the areas people give us when they book. New Braunfels sits across Comal and Guadalupe counties, and not every address inside the city name is inside the New Braunfels Utilities service area, so the alert system and the inspection rules described here do not automatically apply everywhere on this list.
New Braunfels Plumbing Questions, Answered Straight
An alert that names the fault by flow rate, three innocent things that look identical to it, an inspection triggered by buying a house, and two water sources closed to new permits.
It means your meter has reported water moving continuously since a given date, at a given rate in gallons per hour. New Braunfels Utilities publishes a sample alert reading that a meter has reported continuous water usage of 0.2 gallons per hour since a stated date and that this may indicate a leak. It is a monitoring result, not a diagnosis. The utility publishes bands to help interpret the rate, and states that it does not provide plumbing services or leak repairs.
The utility publishes three bands as a general guide. Two to five gallons per hour suggests a possible toilet flapper leak. Eight to thirty gallons per hour suggests a hose may have been left running. Twenty to one hundred gallons per hour suggests a potential underground pipe leak. Those are guides rather than verdicts, and the middle band in particular overlaps with several entirely innocent activities.
Very possibly, and the utility lists the usual suspects. Filling a pool or hot tub runs at eight to thirty gallons per hour. A water softener regeneration cycle also runs at eight to thirty gallons per hour and typically lasts one to two hours. An irrigation system uses about 1,500 gallons per zone, usually early morning or late evening. If one of those was happening at the time of the alert it may explain the usage, which is why the duration and the time of day matter as much as the rate.
The utility publishes five checks. Look at the toilets for running water or faulty flappers. Look under sinks and around appliances for moisture or dripping. Inspect outdoor spigots and hoses. Listen for running water when no fixtures are in use. And check whether the water meter is still moving with everything turned off. If none of those finds it, the utility advises contacting a licensed plumber or leak detection specialist.
There is a good chance you do. New Braunfels Utilities requires a Customer Service Inspection when there is a change in ownership or use, as well as before continuous water service to new construction, when significant plumbing modifications are made, if a potential contamination risk is suspected, or when no inspection is currently on file. If the utility does not hold a valid certificate for the property, you will receive notification requesting proof of a completed inspection.
Not the utility. New Braunfels Utilities uses a contracted vendor to complete CSI certificates for new residential and commercial properties, and it names that vendor publicly as Hardin and Associates, reachable on 830.433.7715, by email, or through online scheduling. General backflow and inspection questions go to the utility itself on 830.608.8880.
Pools and spas appear on the utility list of properties that commonly require backflow prevention, alongside irrigation systems, fire sprinkler systems, commercial buildings, medical facilities, industrial sites and properties with auxiliary water sources. Whether a specific installation requires a device depends on whether there is an actual or potential cross-connection hazard, which is what the inspection exists to determine.
Under the Stage 1 measures effective 28 July 2026, landscape watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler is limited to once per week, on a day set by the last digit of your service address: Monday for 0 or 1, Tuesday for 2 or 3, Wednesday for 4 or 5, Thursday for 6 or 7 and Friday for 8 or 9. Irrigation is permitted only before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Hand-held hoses, buckets, drip systems and soaker hoses that do not spray into the air are allowed any day at any time under Stage 1. Stages change, so check the current one.
Three sources. The Edwards Aquifer, which was the first supply when service began in 1959 and which feeds Comal Springs, San Marcos Springs and Hueco Springs. Surface water from Canyon Reservoir and the Guadalupe River, the largest permitted volume in the portfolio. And the Trinity Aquifer, which lies geologically above the Edwards. The utility notes that no new permits are being issued for the Edwards Aquifer and that Canyon Reservoir permits are fully allocated.
We are not going to give you a number. The utility notes that some Trinity Aquifer wells have higher mineral content, and it publishes a separate page specifically about hard water which we did not open for this page. If scale on fixtures, shortened water heater life or a softener that regenerates constantly is the problem, ask New Braunfels Utilities for that page directly rather than working from a figure found elsewhere.
Impact fees are one-time charges collected during the development process to fund water and wastewater infrastructure needed to serve growth. The utility states they are paid by developers and are not included in existing customers monthly utility bills. It also states that it currently assesses the maximum allowable water and wastewater impact fees as adopted by the City of New Braunfels under Chapter 395 of the Texas Local Government Code. No amount is published on the pages we read, so we are not quoting one.
Use the Number, Then Find the Cause
Plumber New Braunfels Work That Starts Where the Utility Stops
The alert is genuinely useful and the bands are worth taking seriously, but the utility draws its own line clearly: it monitors and it informs, and it does not diagnose or repair. The productive sequence is to run the five published checks, rule out the pool fill, the irrigation cycle and the softener by looking at the clock rather than the rate, and then bring in equipment for whatever is left. A reading that survives all of that is not going to stop on its own.
Sources for the continuous water use alert and its sample wording, the three gallons per hour diagnostic bands, the list of common activities that may trigger an alert with their own rates, the five household checks and the statement that the utility does not provide plumbing services or leak repairs: New Braunfels Utilities Leak Detection Checklist.
Sources for the Customer Service Inspection definition and its five triggering situations, the notification where no valid certificate is held, the use and naming of a contracted vendor, the definitions of backflow by back-siphonage and backpressure, the definition of a cross-connection, the list of property types commonly requiring backflow prevention including pools and spas, the published policy and form set and the contact details: the New Braunfels Utilities Backflow Prevention and Customer Service Inspection page.
That page also records that the utility follows standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The Stage 1 measures and their 28 July 2026 effective date, the address-digit watering day table, the irrigation hours, the reclaimed water condition on decorative fountains, the year round water waste prohibition and the Stage 2 tightening are from the Current Conservation Stage page, which also notes that stages may be adjusted as conditions change.
The 1959 service start, the three water sources, the springs fed by the Edwards Aquifer, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority roles, the statements that no new permits are being issued and that Canyon Reservoir permits are fully allocated, the treatment plant expansion expected online in 2029 and the note on Trinity mineral content are from the NBU Water Supply Portfolio page.
The impact fee description, the Chapter 395 basis, the maximum allowable assessment and the statement that developers rather than existing customers pay them are from the Impact Fees page.
No water or wastewater rate is quoted on this page. The utility publishes a residential rate calculator and a rate breakdown, neither of which was opened. No impact fee amount is quoted because none appears on the page read. No water hardness figure is quoted because the utility hard water page was not opened. No treatment plant capacity, service line inventory count, customer count, population or response time is given.
Plumbing licensing in Texas is administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for water system matters and by the state plumbing regulator for individual licences. Rates, fees, conservation stages and inspection requirements change, and the conservation stage above carries a July 2026 date, so confirm the current position with New Braunfels Utilities before relying on anything here.