The Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1969 with the mission of protecting the waters of the state of Texas and facilitating economic development by providing regional industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, water systems and solid waste facilities statewide.
GCA's original charge was the preservation and cleanup of the Galveston Bay watershed, which included the Houston Ship Channel. GCA has been so successful in that endeavor that our scope and scale of operations have been extended by the legislature beyond the Gulf Coast region. Our operations also extend beyond regional wastewater treatment to include other water systems and areas of Texas at the request of local officials.
GCA's current operations include four regional industrial wastewater treatment facilities serving over 80 industrial customers in the Houston/Gulf Coast area and in the City of Odessa. GCA also owns and operates a regional municipal wastewater treatment facility that serves the City of Friendswood, a small part of Houston and two Municipal Utility Districts; two receiving stations for trucked-in wastewater (one in Odessa and the other in Pasadena); a landfill for nonhazardous industrial solid waste; and a Central Laboratory accredited by the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) that tests incoming wastewater, treated water before discharge and samples from outside customers.
In 2013, the Texas Legislature expanded GCA's charter to authorize the treatment of water to include brackish and freshwater desalination, reuse water and other nonpotable water systems. The bill granted GCA the same powers with regard to the acquisition, construction and operation of such water systems that it has with regard to disposal systems. Water systems covered by the legislation include pipelines, conduits, canals, pumping stations, force mains, plants, storage and other facilities used for the treatment, collection or distribution of water disposal systems and treatment facilities.
Not only has the state of Texas recognized GCA's many contributions to clean water and economic development, but year in and year out, GCA receives accolades and awards of excellence from our peers. Recent recognition includes:
- GCA received our fifth consecutive Risk Management Fund safety award from the Texas Water Conservation Association (TWCA) for our safety and loss control programs and outstanding safety record in worker compensation.
- All five of GCA's wastewater treatment facilities were recognized by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for their consistently outstanding permit compliance.
- GCA was a winner of the 2018 Texas Environmental Excellence Award in the Civic Category for leadership and participation in the River, Lakes, Bays N' Bayous Trash Bash®, an annual cleanup of local waterways in the Greater Houston/ Galveston area.
- Standard & Poors Global Ratings assigned its AA- long-term bond rating to GCA.
The strength of the GCA organization comes from the core values every GCA employee strives to live every day: stewardship, communication, reliability, integrity, planning and teamwork (SCRIPT). GCA's internal SCRIPT Awards recognize our employees for their adherence to these values as demonstrated in superior performance. The most recent SCRIPT Awards went to 33 Hurricane Harvey heroes whose selfless dedication ensured that all GCA facilities remained operational throughout one of the most significant weather events ever to hit the U.S. Not a single entity served by GCA facilities suffered a storm-related shutdown or interruption related to wastewater treatment services.
GCA's expertise in collaborating with industry and municipalities to provide the highest level of wastewater treatment, industrial water supply, other waste management, and water resource and bond financing services have led to our continued success. GCA works closely with customers and the communities in which we operate to fulfill our mission of "protecting the waters of the state of Texas through environmentally sound and economically feasible regional waste management practices."
GCA welcomes the opportunity to serve you and Texas!
For more information, visit www. gcatx.org or call (281) 488-4115.
