Shannon Harrison/Houston Public Media
Signs advertise residential property development in Katy. The suburb is sinking faster than other parts of Houston, as population growth drives groundwater usage.
Parts of Katy, northern Harris County and Montgomery County are sinking faster than any other location in the greater Houston area.
That’s according to a recent report from the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District.
Subsidence is the gradual sinking of land, which can be caused by groundwater usage and oil extraction. The district monitors groundwater usage and how it can cause parts of the greater Houston area to sink, which can exacerbate flooding risks and result in infrastructure damage.
Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.
Ashley Greuter, the district’s director of research and water conservation, presented the report during a public hearing Thursday.
“There is still ongoing subsidence, particularly in western Harris County, in the Katy and Fulshear areas, with some rates showing over 2 centimeters per year, as well as in the Tomball and Spring area of Harris County, and then some more elevated rates seen in southern Montgomery County,” she said.
Greuter said one GPS station in Katy has found that the area has sunk about 14 inches since 2007.
“(From) 2021 to 2025, that five-year average rate is 2.64 centimeters per year, which is just over an inch per year,” she said.
Groundwater usage in these areas is higher than in other parts of Houston, according to the district.
While groundwater withdrawals in the district’s southern and central regions have dramatically decreased since 1976, its northern region has not seen as rapid of a decline.
Houston’s northern suburbs, along with Katy, have experienced substantial sinking for several years, as rapid population growth has driven higher rates of groundwater usage.
A study released last year found that Houston is sinking at a faster rate than any other major city in the United States.