Gulf Coast Waste Disposal

Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) celebrated its 50th Anniversary of protecting the waters of Texas in 2019. GCA is a governmental entity created by the Texas legislature in 1969 with the broad charge to protect the waters of the state of Texas, focused primarily at that time on Galveston Bay watershed, and we take our mission very seriously. GCA has the authority to own and operate regional industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants, water systems, and solid waste facilities statewide and also has the authority to issue bonds for a variety of projects.

In addition to our reliable water, wastewater and solid waste management activities, GCA supports Texas economic development and environmental protection by providing financing services. Since the 1970s, we have issued over $3 billion in private activity bonds toward this end. We also issue industrial development bonds for small manufacturers in Galveston, Harris and Chambers counties. The Finance department provides for the issuance of private activity bonds to finance solid waste facilities or industrial development facilities as provided by IRS rules.

GCA is authorized by its enabling act to build, acquire, own and operate wastewater treatment facilities and related appurtenances and currently provides both industrial and municipal wastewater treatment services in Texas. Unique in Texas, we operate our specially designed industrial wastewater treatment plants under an exemption from federal categorical pretreatment standards for industrial wastewater. The exemption allows GCA to treat wastewater from diverse industrial customers without requiring them to install and operate costly, redundant pretreatment equipment.