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Katy, TX, is a diverse community with a growing population and a strong emphasis on education and family values.

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Katy, TX, is a diverse community with a growing population and a strong emphasis on education and family values.

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Katy, Texas is a city located in the greater Houston metropolitan area in southeast Texas, United States. Originally settled in the 19th century, Katy has grown into a thriving suburban community with a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

Known for its small-town charm, Katy has experienced significant growth in recent decades due to its proximity to Houston and its appeal as a family-friendly community with good schools and amenities. The city is served by the Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD), which is highly regarded for its academic excellence and extracurricular programs.

Katy features a variety of shopping centers, restaurants, parks, and recreational facilities, providing residents with ample opportunities for leisure and entertainment. The city also hosts annual events such as the Katy Rice Festival, which celebrates the area's agricultural heritage.

With its convenient location near major highways like Interstate 10, Katy offers easy access to the employment opportunities and cultural attractions of the greater Houston area while maintaining its own distinct identity and sense of community.

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A University of Houston geological study released in August tracked land deformation in Houston's growing suburbs from 2016-21. The results show the Katy area has some of the most significant land displacement of all surrounding suburbs, sinking roughly 2 centimeters per year.

This gradual, vertical decline of Katy's surface is known as subsidence, or the sinking of the land due to movement beneath the earth's surface. Katy's sinking is chiefly caused by pumping water from underground reserves, which compacts sublayers of clay and silt in aquifers beneath the Earth's surface, according to the UH study.

Shuhab Khan, a geology professor at the University of Houston and one of the report's authors, explained there is a balance to using groundwater sustainably.

"Groundwater is the cleanest water all over the world," Khan said. "It is a means for drinking, for agriculture, for industry, and when we start pumping more water than the amount of water that is replenishing [aquifers], that balance is gone."

Over time, subsidence can cause damage to property, pipes and roads, Khan said. It also makes an area more susceptible to flooding. Katy City Engineer David Kasper said the city is looking for ways to reduce the area's reliance on groundwater, and while the city plans to take advantage of alternative sources, these options will not become available until 2026 at the earliest.

"We expect to receive surface water sometime between 2026 and 2028, thus reducing our use of groundwater supplies," he said.

Though the conditions that cause subsidence can be lessened by cities using alternative sources, such as surface and potable water, the effects of subsidence are permanent, said Robert Mace, water policy director at Texas State University.

"If you reduce your pumping, you can then decrease the maximum subsidence that would have occurred," he said. "But for the most part, land subsidence is a one-way trip. Once it's compressed, it's not coming back up."
Study findings
The UH report found the Katy area's population growth, development and geological characteristics affect subsidence, but the biggest contributor was the use of groundwater from aquifers.

Wells can be drilled into an aquifer, a large, underground water-bearing rock, and water can be pumped out for use by residents of a city.

Khan's report analyzed subsidence data in the Houston region from 2016-21.

"This [is happening] all over Katy," Khan said.

Data from the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, which regulates groundwater and monitors subsidence in Harris and Galveston counties, supports the study's findings.

The UH report also measured groundwater levels below the surface of Katy and other Houston suburbs from 1990-2021. The aquifer water level was around 65 meters below the surface in 1990, compared to 110 meters below ground in 2021.

Even further, the report pinpointed new hot spots of subsidence in the southwest quadrant of the Katy area, coinciding with one of the city's seven water wells in Waller County. The city's 2021 drinking water report states the water wells have a combined storage capacity of 7.25 million gallons.

Ashley Greuter, director of research and water conservation for the HGSD, confirmed GPS data indicates the impacts of compaction in the aquifer associated with groundwater development.

In the past four years, mapping data from the HGSD found a 6.8-centimeter depression in the same location as the Waller County water well.

HGSD General Manager Mike Turco said the Katy area is experiencing subsidence because it has seen population increases and continued development, which leads to more groundwater pumping to meet water needs in the area. Between 2011-20, the six ZIP codes that make up Community Impact's coverage area-77449, 77493, 77494, 77441, 77450 and 77094-saw a 57.31% population increase from 246,673 to 388,036, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

The Katy Area Economic Development Council expects 41,466 more residents to join Katy and the surrounding region by 2027, per Esri geographic data."Subsidence that we see at the land surface is pretty consistent [across the area]," Turco said.
Potential effects
Turco said subsidence has contributed to flooding across the Houston area.

"These [flooding events] are in the same areas where we are seeing subsidence rates at 1 1/2 to 3 centimeters per year," he said.

Mace, with more than 30 years of water policy experience in Texas, said the doughy geological sublayers of the Houston region and its flat landscape contribute to subsidence.

Damage to homes and buildings may occur along active faults-a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock-where differential subsidence can occur, Mace said.

"We have geologic variations, and we have these faults, where [land will] subside more on one side than the other," he said.

If ground pumping trends continue, faults near the Katy area, such as the Addicks fault line near the Barker reservoir in southeastern Katy, will likely become reactivated or increase in activity over time, Khan's report concluded.

Experts also warned excessive groundwater pumping will make flood mitigation more difficult in an area where it is already challenging.

Excessively extracting water from beneath the earth causes the land's surface to sink. Even inland cities are impacted by subsidence, which contributes to changes in drainage patterns, flooding, fault movement, and damages to wells and pipelines, according to the HGSD.
Alternative sources
Katy's land sunk a total of 7.2 inches from 2008-16 and another 4 inches from 2016-21, Khan's report and HGSD data shows.

However, local water authorities, such as the West Harris County Regional Water Authority and the North Fort Bend Water Authority, are monitoring groundwater usage and working to wean cities off it as the primary source for drinking water and utilities.

To address subsidence, they are collaborating on a $1 billion surface water pipeline that will run from Lake Houston to North Fry Road near Grand Parkway, under construction since 2020.

At a July 28 special meeting, Katy City Council approved a resolution with the WHCRWA to receive 3.6 million gallons of potable water to three of the city's water production facilities as soon as the surface water supply pipeline is completed-in late 2025 by the WHCRWA's earliest estimate.

The Surface Water Supply Project, jointly funded by the NFBWA and the WHCRWA, consists of large water transmission lines and two pump stations designed to convey surface water from the treatment plant at Lake Houston to entities and cities within their respective jurisdictions.

The project's purpose is to meet the HGSD's groundwater reduction requirements for 2025 and beyond-to eventually only use groundwater for 20% of a city's operations, according to the SWSP team.

In 2013, the HGSD set requirements for all water suppliers in Harris and Galveston counties to reduce groundwater pumping based on the rate of subsidence in their area. The city of Katy must cut its groundwater usage 60% by 2025 and 80% by 2035, according to the HGSD's regulatory plan.

Construction on the Katy portion of the pipeline-west of Beltway 8 to north Fry Road-began in 2020 and will be completed in late 2023, the SWSP team said. Kasper wrote in a July 28 memo the benefit of early conversion to surface water would be slowing land subsidence in the areas near the city of Katy's water wells, but the four wells in Waller County will need to remain operational at their full capacity.

"Depending on the location of the development activity, it is possible that the city would need to construct a new water well in Waller County even if surface water supplies are available at the city's facilities in Harris and Fort Bend counties," Kasper said in the memo.

Khan sent his report to Katy officials to encourage an open dialogue about his research.

"Finding out about subsidence now is good," Khan said. "Once you know a problem, you take steps to cure the problem before it gets too late."

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Report shows high rates of subsidence in Katy, city continues to sink two centimeters every year

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A University of Houston geological study released in August tracked land deformation in Houston's growing suburbs from 2016-21.

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Overall, the number of homes sold in Katy- and Fulshear-area ZIP codes decreased in February compared to February 2023.

Six of eight local ZIP codes saw home sale declines year over year, while the remaining two increased less than 10%. However, compared to January, 135 more homes were sold, with 614 sold in February versus 479 homes in January.

Overall, the average number of days homes spent on the market increased in most ZIP codes. Homes, on average, spent the most time on the market in ZIP code 77441.

Meanwhile, the median home sales price increased year over year in all local ZIP codes, with the most increase being seen in the 77094 ZIP code near the Energy Corridor. That ZIP code also had the highest median home sales price at $492,500.

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See how the Katy, Fulshear real estate market fared in February

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Overall, the number of homes sold in Katy- and Fulshear-area ZIP codes decreased in February compared to February 2023.

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Throughout the year, Community Impact has covered multiple local issues concerning government, education, healthcare, transportation and more. Here are all of the cover stories featured in the Katy issues from 2022.
January: Fulshear looks to preserve charm as development emerges
As the city of Fulshear approaches its 200th birthday in 2024, the area is experiencing rapid residential growth.

According to spring 2020 projections by demographic firm Population and Survey Analysts, the Fulshear area's population is expected to more than double between 2019 and 2028-jumping from 31,861 residents in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, to 77,651 residents in 2028.
February

Stakeholders use data to address Harris County's criminal justice system challenges
Local agencies are working together to improve Harris County's criminal justice system-a system experts said is overwhelmed with a backlog of cases and discriminates against low-income residents and people of color.

Harris County Commissioners Court created the Justice Administration Department in 2019 to identify solutions and facilitate meaningful changes to the system.
Katy City Council kicks off $33M mobility package
The city of Katy will spend $33 million on nine transportation projects over the next three years that aim to increase mobility, decrease congestion and prepare for growth, officials said.

On Jan. 10, Katy City Council approved a $33 million transportation package funded by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and the Katy Development Authority. The funding consists of $23.05 million from the city's General Mobility Program agreement with METRO and $10.47 million from cash funds.
March: Katy's historic J.V. Cardiff & Sons Rice Dryer begins next chapter with new owner
After being unmaintained for 26 years, the J.V. Cardiff & Sons Rice Dryer-one of three rice dryers in Katy city limits located on Hwy. 90-is about to see a second life.

In late 2020, developer Hadi "Andrew" Nurcahya bought the property from an Austin-based developer. Nurcahya said he plans to turn the site into a community-centric gathering space that aims to encourage local economic growth in alignment with historical preservation.

A brand new proximity between Houston Community College-Katy and University of Houston-Victoria at Katy is expected to not only benefit the student community, but also provide an economic boost on the local workforce in Katy, local officials said.

"Starting in Katy, ending in Katy," a slogan college officials introduced in 2017, means students who attend Katy ISD schools will be able to attend the new HCC-Katy campus and could eventually transition to the neighboring UH-V at Katy campus, said Zachary Hodges, president of the HCC Northwest system, which comprises four campuses, including Katy.
Katy-area businesses reflect on 2 years of the pandemic
It has been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and while the economy has been able to start recovering from it, Katy-area business owners said they continue to feel the effects on supply chains, inflation and labor shortages.

February survey data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas revealed 64.7% of Texas business owners experienced supply chain disruptions or delays in February with 26.9% reporting they do not expect the supply chain to go back to normal until more than a year has passed. Many business owners also noted in a March survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has added to their supply chain issues.

The city of Katy is in the midst of a collaborative effort to construct its parks, trails and recreation master plan. The plan will build on several ongoing parks projects that aim to connect the community and improve the quality of Katy's parks system, city officials said.

Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Browne, who took on the role in July 2021, said the parks master plan is the second-highest priority for Katy City Council this year, second to the comprehensive plan that will construct a plan for city's next two decades.
Local agencies respond to rising opioid overdoses
Opioid overdose deaths have risen in Texas since the pandemic began in 2020, but officials with Fort Bend and Harris counties said initiatives have been implemented during the pandemic to help prevent a dramatic increase in opioid-related deaths.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an opioid is defined as a class of drugs that includes heroin; synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl; and prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine.

When the coronavirus pandemic emerged in March 2020, the U.S. government issued a requirement that states could no longer kick people off Medicaid during the public health emergency. The purpose was to prevent people on Medicaid-a government-run health care policy-from being left without insurance on short notice.

That requirement is still in place two years later, but health care advocates in Texas and Houston said they are worried about what could happen when it ends and millions of people have their safety nets put into jeopardy.
Increasing capacities: Katy-area hospitals expand to handle growing population
Officials at Katy-area hospitals are recognizing a need to expand their facilities' space and services to keep up with Katy's growth.

Between 2011-20, the six ZIP codes that make up Community Impact Newspaper's coverage area-77449, 77493, 77494, 77441, 77450 and 77094-saw a 57.31% population increase, from 246,673 to 388,036, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The Katy Area Economic Development Council expects the area to gain 31,185 more residents by 2025.
July: Katy sees higher home prices in seller's market
Katy's housing landscape is marked by an increasing demand for new inventory, plateauing home prices and increasing interest rates, local experts said.

Despite a challenging market skewed toward sellers, experts said the area remains a "highly desirable" place to live due to the area's master-planned communities, schools and its proximity to major highways-such as the Katy Freeway, Westpark Tollway and Grand Parkway.

More than two years after the coronavirus pandemic first hit the Greater Houston area in March 2020, food banks are still struggling to meet the growing demand for their services as volunteers are slow to return and donations become scarce.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, 10.9% of residents in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area reported being food scarce at the start of the pandemic between April 23-May 5, 2020. Between Oct. 28-Nov. 9, 2020, local food scarcity peaked at 21.4% and has since fluctuated, dropping to 14.2% between June 1 through June 13.
Lamar CISD moves toward November bond as student population continues to increase
Two years after passing a bond in 2020, Lamar CISD is preparing a $956.29 million bond for the Nov. 8 ballot to keep pace with enrollment. Made of three propositions, the package will go to a board vote on Aug. 22, after press time.

If passed, the bond will fund four elementary schools and a middle school, additions to all five high schools, a career and technical education center, renovations to Traylor Stadium, the construction of a second stadium, and new technology devices.
September: Officials plan for long-term benefits of Fort Bend County EpiCenter
Upon opening in summer 2023, the Fort Bend County EpiCenter will sit on 52 acres in Rosenberg, attracting visitors to the area for events from surrounding counties, officials said.

Located in the heart of Fort Bend County along Hwy. 59 and Hwy. 36, County Judge KP George said he anticipates the EpiCenter will bring millions to the county over the next decade in the form of venue rentals, hotel stays, naming rights and a draw to new businesses in the surrounding area.

Harris County residents will vote on a $1.2 billion bond to fund public safety facilities, road maintenance and parks during the midterm elections Nov. 8.

Voters can approve or reject three separate propositions: $100 million for public safety facilities; $900 million for roads, drainage and multimodal transportation; and $200 million for parks. Historically, the county has proposed road and park bonds every six to eight years, most recently an $848 million bond in 2015.
Katy child care, early education centers tackle costs, staff issues as inflation continues to rise
Katy's continued development and inflation have created increases in costs of child care, while early education centers balance staffing shortages and retention efforts that arose from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, child care is considered unaffordable if it requires over 7% of a family's income. As of October 2020, the typical Texas family was paying 15.7% of its income for infant care for one child, according to the Economic Policy Institute. By this standard, 15.8% of families could afford infant care.

A University of Houston geological study released in August tracked land deformation in Houston's growing suburbs from 2016-21. The results show the Katy area has some of the most significant land displacement of all surrounding suburbs, sinking roughly 2 centimeters per year.

This gradual, vertical decline of Katy's surface is known as subsidence, or the sinking of the land due to movement beneath the earth's surface. Katy's sinking is chiefly caused by pumping water from underground reserves, which compacts sublayers of clay and silt in aquifers beneath the Earth's surface, according to the UH study.
Community colleges await possible state funding changes from the 88th Texas legislative session
Community colleges across the state, including the Houston Community College System, may see a change in how they receive state funding in the coming years.

Going into the 88th Texas legislative session in 2023, the state may shift from focusing on enrollment to student outcomes in determining funding for colleges.

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Child care, community college, supply chain issues: All the major 2022 issues covered in Katy

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Throughout the year, Community Impact has covered multiple local issues concerning government, education, healthcare, transportation and more.

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Several years ago, the Katy Freeway in Houston was a major traffic bottleneck. It was so bad that in 2004 the American Highway Users Alliance (AHUA) called one of its interchanges the second worst bottleneck in the nation wasting 25 million hours a year of commuter time. (The Katy Freeway, Interstate 10, connects downtown Houston to the city's growing suburbs almost 30 miles to the west).

Obviously, when a highway is too congested, you need to add capacity: make it wider! Add more lanes! So the state of Texas pumped more than $2.8 billion into widening the Katy; by the end, it had 23 lanes, good enough for widest freeway in the world.

It was a triumph of traffic engineering. In a report entitled Unclogging America's Arteries , released last month on the eve of congressional action to pump more money into the nearly bankrupt Highway Trust Fund, the AHUA highlighted the Katy widening as one of three major "success stories," noting that the widening "addressed" the problem and, "as a result, [it was] not included in the rankings" of the nation's worst traffic chokepoints.

There's just one problem: congestion on the Katy has actually gotten worse since its expansion.

Sure, right after the project opened, travel times at rush hour declined, and the AHUA cites a three-year old article in the Houston Chronicle as evidence that the $2.8 billion investment paid off. But it hasn't been 2012 for a while, so we were curious about what had happened since then. Why didn't the AHUA find more recent data?

Well, because it turns out that more recent data turns their "success story" on its head.

We extracted these data from (Houston's official traffic tracking data source) for two segments of the Katy Freeway for the years 2011 through 2014. They show that the morning commute has increased by 25 minutes (or 30 percent) and the afternoon commute has increased by 23 minutes (or 55 percent).

Growing congestion and ever longer travel times are not something that the American Highway Users Alliance could have missed if they had traveled to Houston, read the local media, or even just "Googled" a typical commute trip. According to stories reported in the Houston media, travel times on the Katy have increased by 10 to 20 minutes minutes in just two years. In a February 2014 story headlined " Houston Commute Times Quickly Increasing, " Click2Houston reported that travel times on the 29-mile commute from suburban Pin Oak to downtown Houston on the Katy Freeway had increased by 13 minutes in the morning rush hour and 19 minutes in the evening rush over just two years. Google Maps says the trip, which takes about half an hour in free-flowing traffic, can take up to an hour and 50 minutes at the peak hour. And , a local quality-of-life institute, researchers found that between 2011 and 2014, driving times from Houston to Pin Oak on the Katy increased by 23 minutes.

Even Tim Lomax, one of the authors of the congestion-alarmist Urban Mobility Report, has the Katy expansion didn't work:

"I'm surprised at how rapid the increase has been," said Tim Lomax, a traffic congestion expert at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. "Naturally, when you see increases like that, you're going to have people make different decisions."

Maybe commuters will be forced to make different decisions. But for the boosters at the AHUA, their prescription is still exactly the same: build more roads.

The traffic surge on the Katy Freeway may come as a surprise to highway boosters like Lomax and the American Highway Users Alliance, but will not be the least bit surprising to anyone familiar with the history of highway capacity expansion projects. It's yet another classic example of the problem of induced demand : adding more freeway capacity in urban areas just generates additional driving, longer trips and more sprawl; and new lanes are jammed to capacity almost as soon as they're open. Induced demand is now so well-established in the literature that economists Gilles Duranton and Matthew Turner call it " The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion ."

Claiming that the Katy Freeway widening has resolved one of the nation's major traffic bottlenecks is more than just serious chutzpah, it shows that the nation's highway lobby either doesn't know, or simply doesn't care what "success" looks like when it comes to cities and transportation.

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Here's a highway success story, as told by the folks who build highways. Several years ago, the Katy Freeway in Houston was a major traffic bottleneck. It was so bad that in 2004 the American Highw...

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Katy sees higher home prices in seller’s market

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Katy’s housing landscape is marked by an increasing demand for new inventory, plateauing home prices and increasing interest rates, local experts said. Despite a challenging market skewed toward sellers, experts said the area remains a “highly desirable” place to live.

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By identifying these gaps, critical issues, and potential partnerships, Katy can work towards developing collaborative solutions that address the needs of its residents and foster a more inclusive and sustainable community for all.

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By identifying these gaps, critical issues, and potential partnerships, Katy can work towards developing collaborative solutions that address the needs of its residents and foster a more inclusive and sustainable community for all.

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Founded in 2003, the Katy Area Economic Development Council's (Katy Area EDC) mission is to lead the economic development efforts of the Katy area to recruit, retain and expand new high quality, high impact companies, jobs and talent to improve the quality of life and place of Katy area residents.

Since its inception, the Katy Area EDC has grown to over 200 members, has a budget of $800,000 and has assisted in the creation of thousands of jobs and billions in capital investment. Katy Area EDC is a full-service private, non-profit, 501 (c) 6 economic development corporation.

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 - Golden Shovel Agency, www.goldenshovelagency.com

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The Katy Area EDC's mission is to lead in recruiting, retaining and expanding new companies, jobs and talent to improve the quality of life of Katy residents.

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The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas

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Statistical Atlas: The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States

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Overview of Katy Independent School District

Katy Independent School District contains 74 schools and 88,368 students. The district's minority enrollment is 70%. Also, 28.2% of students are economically disadvantaged.

Schools in the District

Students at Katy Independent School District

The student body at the schools served by Katy Independent School District is 30% White, 13.5% Black, 15.9% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 36.2% Hispanic/Latino, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. In addition, 4% of students are two or more races, and 0% have not specified their race or ethnicity.

Also, 49% of students are female, and 51% of students are male. At schools in Katy Independent School District, 28.2% of students are eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced price meal program and 22.3% of students are English language learners.

School information is provided by the government.

Students on free or reduced price lunch

28.2%

Students learning English (average)

22.3%

Teachers at Katy Independent School District

Within Katy Independent School District, 100.0% of teachers are licensed, and 89.2% have three or more years of experience. The student-to-teacher ratio is lower than the state average, at 15:1. The district has 85 full-time counselors on staff.

Percentage of teachers who are certified (average)

100.0%

Teachers with 3 or more years experience (average)

89.2%

Number of full-time school counselors

85

Test Scores at Katy Independent School District

In Katy Independent School District, 57% of elementary students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 54% tested at or above that level for math. Also, 62% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 62% tested at or above that level for math. And 75% of high school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 46% tested at or above that level for math.

Finances at Katy Independent School District

Katy Independent School District spends $9,333 per student each year. It has an annual revenue of $1,047,002,000. Overall, the district spends $6,468.5 million on instruction, $3,123.2 million on support services and $294.7 million on other expenses.

School information is provided by the government.

Total Revenue

$1,047,002,000

Data is based on the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years.

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Learn more about Katy Independent School District here - find all of the schools in the district, student data, test scores, district budget and more.