When you buy a home or homesite around Hawley, you are usually also joining a nonprofit water cooperative. Hawley Water Supply Corporation serves the town and the rural areas around it. It does not treat water from a lake of its own. It buys treated water from the City of Abilene and the City of Anson and passes the cost through to members. In late 2026, that cost is changing in two places at once. Abilene has raised its wholesale water rate starting with December usage, and since July the co-op's own board has had revisions to its rates-and-fees tariff on its agendas.
For a buyer, two things follow. Water access comes with paperwork that has to be done before closing, and the posted fee numbers are the ones most likely to change.
At a typical in-town sale, the utility account just gets changed over. Hawley WSC works differently because service is tied to a membership. The co-op's Right-to-Transfer Membership form has the current member authorize Tim Ferrall, the general manager, to sign the stock book and stock certificate that move the membership to the new owner. A notary has to acknowledge the seller's signature.
The buyer has paperwork too. Hawley WSC's service application packet includes a transfer option, and the co-op requires an application and agreement before it starts service. Its new service page says applicants must provide a warranty deed or other proof of ownership.
State law sets the framework. Texas Water Code §67.016 allows a water supply corporation membership to transfer when the property is sold. It also says the new owner still has to meet the corporation's service conditions and file its standard transfer and service forms on time. A notarized signature is easy to get while the seller lives down the road. It is much harder to get once they have moved to another state. That is why this form belongs on the to-do list early, not on closing day.
A homesite with no meter is the more expensive case. Hawley WSC posts what a new residential meter costs, and everything is due when you request service.
| Charge | Amount | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| Equity buy-in, in effect since February 1, 2025 | $1,010 | Not stated |
| Meter feasibility and engineering fee | $200 | No |
| New meter set | $800 | No |
| Membership fee | $120 | Yes, if the account is in good standing |
| Total for a new residential meter | $2,130 |
That $2,130 covers a standard connection. The co-op's meter feasibility assessment form lists $200 for one standard connection plus $25 for each additional connection on the same property. Non-standard assessments are estimated at $500 for up to 10 connections, $1,000 for 10 to 20, and $2,500 for more than 20, and the form says actual estimates vary. If a property needs a water line extension or a road bore, the co-op asks applicants to call the office. It does not post a price for that work.
The service agreement adds three terms that matter for acreage:
So if you plan to put a second home on a tract, budget for a second meter. The posted fees stop at the meter. The cost of running line across a long lot is up to you.
The co-op's 2025 water quality report lists its sources. Water from Abilene comes from Lake Fort Phantom Hill, O.H. Ivie, and Hubbard Creek Lake. Water from Anson comes from Hubbard Creek Lake. Abilene supplies routes 1 through 6 and 9 through 11, and Anson supplies routes 7 and 8.
The co-op buys its water, so its bills follow its suppliers' prices. Hawley WSC says so directly. When the board raised rates at its November 7 and December 12, 2024 meetings, the posted notice said the board had been "absorbing previous increases from the cost of purchased water, operating supplies and day-to-day operations." The February 2025 schedule raised the monthly minimum from $35 to $42 and raised every usage tier. The first 14,999 gallons went from $9.75 to $11.25 per thousand. The co-op's own sample charges show a 5,000-gallon month at $98.25 before the regulatory assessment fee. The same month under the old rates works out to $83.75, so the new bill is about 17% higher.
The next increase in the co-op's cost is already scheduled. When Abilene adopted its FY2027 budget on September 10, 2026, the city said water and sewer rates would rise 6%, and that "wholesale customers will see the change beginning with December usage and bills received in January," according to the City of Abilene's September 15 announcement. If you close on a Hawley-area home this fall, the co-op's purchase price goes up within your first few months of ownership.
On October 18, 2026, Water Data for Texas showed Fort Phantom Hill at 67.3% full, O.H. Ivie at 41.2%, and Hubbard Creek, the one lake that feeds both of Hawley WSC's suppliers, at 36.0%.
Abilene's increase is the cost coming in. The co-op's own agendas show what it is working on in response, and three items stand out.
The co-op has already finished one upgrade. Its manager reports that a TxCDBG-funded phase installed 5,100 linear feet of 10-inch line from the Hwy 277 pump station to PR 314 and replaced a river crossing. The co-op says that work improved pressure and volume in Hawley and the outlying areas.
Taken together, Hawley WSC is a member-owned system buying more expensive water, extending lines to new subdivisions, and planning upgrades that cost far more than its last fee schedule assumed. The fees a buyer pays to join are among the numbers the board is revising now.
The board's regular meetings are the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 555 8th St. The co-op notes that meeting dates sometimes change, and it posts agendas on its board meetings page.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Please confirm the rules for your property directly with Hawley WSC and with the right professional for your situation.
Does the City of Hawley run the water system? The City of Hawley's website doesn't list a separate retail water tariff. Hawley WSC describes its service area as the city limits and the outlying areas. To check a specific property, use the PUCT viewer.
Is the $40 million project funded? So far it appears only on state funding lists. In an August 2024 memo, the TWDB marked an earlier version of the project as preliminarily eligible and said final eligibility would follow a completed financial assistance application.
When does Abilene's increase reach the co-op? With December 2026 usage, billed in January 2027, according to the city.
If you're looking at a home or a few acres around Hawley and want help confirming the water service, the transfer paperwork, and the meter costs before you're under contract, Kristen Kyker and our team can walk through it with you. Contact us and we'll start with the address.
Who you work with matters! When it comes to your real estate needs, you should work with the best. Whether it is buying, selling, renting, second homes, investing, or more, we are happy to help assist you in any way that we can.
2500 S Willis St Abilene, TX 79605