HOUSTON – Parts of the Katy area have sunk about 14 inches since 2007, according to new data from the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, which says some of Houston’s fastest-growing suburbs are continuing to slowly sink as groundwater pumping persists.
The district’s latest groundwater report shows measurable land subsidence...the gradual sinking of land caused by groundwater withdrawal... across parts of Katy, Fulshear, Cypress, Spring, Tomball and The Woodlands.
One monitoring station in Katy recorded more than 14 inches of subsidence between 2007 and 2025, according to the report.
“It is alarming at first,” said Casey Hughes with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District. “But your water providers are working very hard on a plan.”
Subsidence happens when too much groundwater is removed from underground aquifers, causing layers of clay, sand and silt beneath the surface to compact. Once the ground sinks, experts say you can’t fix it.
“Once it happens, it’s permanent. It’s irreversible,” Hughes said.
Historically, Houston relied heavily on groundwater pulled from wells beneath the region. But as suburban development expanded west and north of Houston, demand for water grew rapidly in communities still transitioning to surface water systems.
The district said subsidence is not happening evenly across the region. Instead, it occurs in localized pockets depending on groundwater use, development patterns, and geology.
In Fulshear, homeowner Alisha Moore said she has noticed visible changes around her property over time.
“When we moved in, the ground level was even with the curb,” Moore said. “It’s now several inches below where it was.”
Officials caution that not every foundation issue is directly tied to subsidence. Many homes in the Houston area also experience movement caused by shifting clay soils and drainage problems, especially in neighborhoods built over former rice fields.
Still, the district warns subsidence can also be a contributing impact and worsen flood vulnerability over time by lowering elevation and disrupting drainage patterns in a region already prone to hurricanes and extreme rainfall.
Houston has seen severe subsidence before. In Baytown, decades of groundwater pumping caused parts of a waterfront neighborhood to sink nearly 9 feet over four decades starting in the 1940’s. The neighborhood was abandoned, and much of that area is now part of the Baytown Nature Center.
The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District was created in 1975 to regulate groundwater pumping and help reduce future sinking. Officials say stricter rules near the coast have helped slow subsidence in some areas.
The district is now pushing communities in Regulatory Area 3, which includes much of north and west Harris County, to cut groundwater reliance from about 40% today to 20% by 2035 through expanded surface water use and conservation efforts.
“Everybody has a role to play,” Hughes said.
Officials say large-scale infrastructure projects are already underway to help reduce dependence on groundwater. One example is the expanded Northeast Water Purification Plant in Humble, which now provides up to 400 million gallons of drinking water a day to the Houston region, up from about 80 million gallons just a few years ago.
The district also encourages residents to conserve water at home and stay informed about where their water supply comes from as the region continues to grow.