Conroe officials say Calfee campus water restored after CCN dispute with Willis ISD

Conroe officials said on Aug. 7 that water service to the Calfee campus has been restored after a months-long dispute over who holds service rights for the site and two instances in which taps were opened without city authorization.

Mayor Duke, mayor of Conroe, announced at a press conference that “the water supply has been restored, to Calfee Bridal School and we're very happy about that.” City Administrator Gary Scott and assistant city administrator Norman McGuire joined engineering manager Brandy Taylor and utility staff to outline the city's timeline and regulatory concerns.

City officials said the core issue was a CCN — a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity issued by the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) that assigns water-service territory. Brandy Taylor, engineering manager for the City of Conroe, summarized the regulatory background: “Certificate of convenience and necessity, a CCN is a legal authorization issued by the public utility commission that allows a utility provider to serve a specific geographical area and it is the law.”

Taylor and other staff described the timeline the city set out in documents shown at the press event: Willis ISD bought the site in 2020; Aqua Texas held the CCN for the area; Aqua Texas sent a letter in February 2024 agreeing to relinquish its CCN rights for the parcel; the city said a formal filing with the PUC did not appear on the commission docket until March 2025, required a clarification in April, and the PUC approval paperwork was completed in late July and filed showing the parcel out of Aqua Texas CCN on Aug. 5, 2025.

City staff said the district requested construction taps in April 2024 so paving and testing could proceed, and Conroe installed permanent taps subject to a signed waiver restraining the district and contractor from using the taps until the city authorized service. The city reported two unauthorized uses of the taps on May 30 and June 5, 2025; the city then locked the valves on June 6. Conroe staff later opened valves briefly at the contractor's request for pressure testing on July 29 and said they relocked them after testing ended on Aug. 1.

Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator, acknowledged political pressure but defended staff actions: “political pressure does play an impact on decisions that we make daily.” City documents shown at the conference include a May 2024 exchange in which the then-Montgomery County engineer told Conroe staff the county would have no objection to the city taking over review and permitting responsibility for the site, and a December 2024 city council resolution directing staff to prepare for annexation of certain parcels (Willis ISD later was found ineligible for annexation while still in Aqua Texas CCN).

The city also highlighted public-safety and regulatory concerns. Jason Miller, a city water and sewer staff member, and other utility staff said a required backflow prevention device was installed at the site and that the device and related testing were necessary to protect Conroe's system. The city noted it could not provide continuous customer service until the CCN transfer was in the PUC records and until required inspections were complete.

Officials disputed social-media claims about money collected from Willis ISD. Brandy Taylor said the commonly cited $400,000 figure is incorrect and that the city collected about $210,000 in permit and inspection fees for the project. The city also said Willis ISD paid a $5,000 fine the district had contested but ultimately settled "for the city's inconvenience," according to a Willis ISD message shown at the press event.

Legal and administrative steps remain in view: the city said it has referred any lawsuit arising from the dispute to its insurance counsel through the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool (TML IRP) and asked staff not to comment further until counsel responds. The mayor and other officials said they hope to continue negotiating a cost-sharing arrangement for serving areas outside the city, and they announced a public council meeting scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. to answer questions from the community.

Why this matters: the dispute affected school-opening logistics for the Calfee campus, raised potential public-safety questions tied to water-system protections, and highlighted how CCN territory and intergovernmental coordination can delay service to new developments. Conroe officials said they will continue negotiating with Willis ISD and other partners to resolve cost-sharing and service arrangements.

Remaining details not specified in city materials shown at the press conference include the exact text of the PUC docket filings and the full terms of any cost-sharing or development agreements that remain under negotiation. The city provided a packet of documents to reporters at the event and invited the public to the Saturday council meeting for additional questions.