Public Hearing on Tax Rate
AGING INFRASTRUCTURE & DOUGHT-LIKE WEATHER – A BAD COMBINATION
In the City of Houston, news reports have highlighted the effects of the dry, drought-like weather on the aging water infrastructure with main line water breaks causing road sink holes and service outages. In MUD 208, although not as dramatic as breaks shown in news reports, we have experienced our share of water line breaks too.
Fortunately, service outages to customers have been minimized due to the quick response by our operator, H2O Consulting, and their willingness to work late into the night to restore service to our customers.
Though the line breaks have been exasperated by the dry weather, line breaks have been occurring more often over the last several years due to an aging water and sewer infrastructure. MUD 208 has had 41 water line breaks since 1999. There were 13 line breaks in the 10 years from 1999 to 2009, 16 for the next 10 years, 2010-2019, but in the last 3½ years, 2020 to 2023, 12 line breaks have already occurred. A very disturbing trend due to an aging system.
The following are some examples of recent line breaks and repairs:
The MUD 208 infrastructure consists of the follow components:
- 12 miles of water distribution lines ranging from 4” to 12” inches in diameter installed in 1986 to 1989
- 13 miles of sanitary sewer lines ranging from 8” to 18” inches in diameter installed in 1986 to 1989
- Water plant with 720,000 gallons of ground storage tank capacity, 2,400 gallons per minute pumping capacity, 2 deep water wells and standby power generator. The water plant was built in 1988
- Lift station for sanitary sewer waste built in 1985
- ~9.17% ownership in 4,600,000-gallon capacity sewage treatment plant built in 1978
- Provides Water and Sewer service to a population of 3,642 people daily through 1,213 connections to the infrastructure.
It can be noted from the above, the majority of the MUD’s infrastructure is approaching 40 years old. As with an aging house or a car, repairs and replacement of items are necessary to keep things running properly. The same is true for the MUD infrastructure – maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement is necessary to keep reliable water and sewer services available to our customers. Some of the recent and ongoing major rehabilitation/replacements include:
- Water Plant ground storage tank rehabilitation in 2018 costing $586,517
- Sanitary Sewer Line Rehabilitation in 2021 costing $205,617
- Sewage Treatment plant bar screen replacement in 2022 costing $222,936
- Lift Station Wet Well Rehabilitation in 2022 costing $244,530
- Water Plant MCC replacement in 2023 – 2024 with an estimated cost of $386,000
The MUD 208 Board of Directors is currently working with its engineers and operators looking at the water distribution system, evaluating past water line breaks commonalities to determine what areas in the distribution system may be more vulnerable to failure and what areas should be considered for proactive replacement to avoid unplanned water disruption to our customers in the future. This type of evaluation is also being done for equipment at the water plant and sewage treatment plant.
As can be seen by the costs above, rehabilitation and replacement of lines and equipment will be expensive. Two methods of funding are available to MUDs. It should be noted that funding for projects must be in the bank prior to bidding a project. The first funding method is authorization and issuance of bonds. Using this method, current and future residents share the debt burden which is spread over 25 to 30 years by incorporating it into the property tax rates. The second method is “Pay As You Go” in which the resident’s water bills are the primary funding source. With this method, water rates would increase in advance to fund each project which means the project debt burden falls on the current residents.
Once work scopes and estimated costs are determined, the Board will work with our financial advisor to determine the best, most cost-effective funding method to have the least impact to our customers.
Fire Hydrant Flushing – Wasting Water or Following Regulation?
Have you ever gone out for a mid-morning walk or drive in your neighborhood only to find water flowing out of a fire hydrant with the familiar H2O truck nearby? This can be a concerning sight for many as it appears significant amounts of water are flowing straight into the storm sewer unused and wasted. You may be surprised to learn this process, called flushing, is an integral part of water systems routine preventative maintenance required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This flushing maintains the integrity of the water system and allows us to continue delivery of the highest quality water possible to our customers.
What is flushing?
Flushing is a process that rapidly removes water from the District’s water piping system, similar to the process of flushing a car’s radiator. Flushing uses water force to scour out materials that accumulate in the District’s pipes. Water pipes are usually flushed by opening fire hydrants, where the discharged water flows off the streets the same as rainwater.
Why are we flushing?
Imagine driving down the road at less than 1-1/2 miles per hour. That’s about the rate that water moves through underground pipes. This slow movement causes sediment like rust and mineral particles to build up over time and accumulate along the pipe’s bottom. A build-up of bacteria known as “biofilm” can also coat the pipe’s inner surface. This combination of sediment and bacteria can restrict water flow in the pipes. Also, some areas of the water distribution system have dead ends or low flow segments where water remains in the pipe longer and may slightly reduce the chlorine disinfectant levels in the water. Periodic flushing of the water system removes the sediments from the lines and refreshes the water in the dead end, low flow segments of the system.
Isn’t flushing a waste of water?
No. Any overall increase in the amount of water used in flushing is a small price to pay in maintaining water quality and the integrity of the piping system.
How will this affect you?
Usually, you will not be aware that flushing is even taking place in your neighborhood. Flushing is generally conducted between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It takes about 30 minutes to flush each hydrant. While the hydrant is being flushed, the homes on that block may experience slight drop in water pressure. Your water service should not be interrupted. The only sign that flushing has occurred in your neighborhood may be standing water in the roadway.
MUD 208 Enters Stage 1 (Voluntary) Drought Contingency Plan
Following a notice from WHCRWA, MUD 208 has entered Stage 1 (Voluntary) water restrictions. The Board is requesting that all district users take the following voluntary Drought Response Measures in an effort to achieve a ten (10) percent reduction in daily water demand:
- Check for and repair all leaks, dripping faucets and running toilets.
- Check for and correct excessive irrigation or uncorrected leaks that result in water leaving the User’s property by drainage onto adjacent properties or public or private roadways or streets or gutters.
- All outdoor water use is requested to occur between the hours of 7 pm and 5 am of the following day on no more than two days per week conforming to the following schedule:
- Sundays and Thursdays for District residents and other users of water within the District with even-numbered street addresses.
- Saturdays and Wednesdays for District residents and other users of water within the District with odd-numbered street addresses
- Tuesdays and Fridays for all other Users in the event no address exists.
See Drought Contingency Plan for more details.
Summer Water Rates Now in Effect
The following summer water conservation rates are now in effect:
| Residential Summer Water Conservation Billing Rates – May thru September | |
| 0 – 8,000 gal. | $8.00 minimum bill |
| 8,001 – 20,000 gal. | $2.25 per 1,000 gal. |
| 20,001 – 30,000 gal. | $2.75 per 1,000 gal. |
| Over 30,000 gal. | $4.00 per 1,000 gal |
The WHCRWA water rate and the sewer rate are billed in addition to the rates shown above.
For more details go to Detailed Water & Sewer Rate Order
Summer Already??
Once again, we are all getting our yards back to the healthy, lovely green specimens they were prior to the abuse they suffered during the winter. Have you turned your sprinkler system on and walked the whole system? We recommend you do this to ensure your sprinkler heads are not broken and your whole yard is getting the proper amount of water that it needs. This should be done at the beginning of the irrigation season, and monthly throughout the season. This is especially true if you have a lawn service and your system runs overnight as you might not realize one of sprinkler heads is broken and you have a fountain that is spraying water everywhere. Remember water is getting more expensive, mostly from charges passed on from the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA). Also, you don’t need to water your lawn daily. You want to apply about a half-inch to an inch in order to soak the soil deeply. Then allow it to dry out, bringing air back into the soil, before you give it another thorough soaking. This saves water and helps develop a good-rooted, resilient turf.
HCMUD 208 FREEZE ALERT!
Take necessary precautions. Wrap Water Pipes, Drain Sprinkler Systems & Cover Outside Hose Bibs. Visit https://www.h2oconsulting.net/winterize-your-home/ for more details.
Extreme Weather Emergencies
NOTICE REGARDING EXTREME WEATHER EMERGENCIES
This communication is to notify you that Harris County MUD #208, your retail water and sanitary sewer provider is:
- prohibited from imposing late fees or disconnecting retail water or sewer service for nonpayment of bills that are due during an extreme weather emergency until after the emergency is over;
- required to offer a payment schedule to a customer who requests such a schedule for unpaid bills due during an extreme weather emergency; and
- prohibited from disconnecting retail water or sewer service for nonpayment of bills due during an extreme weather emergency until after a payment schedule has been offered and the customer has either declined to accept the payment schedule in a timely fashion or violated the terms of the payment schedule.
For purposes of this communication, an “extreme weather emergency” is defined as a period beginning when the previous day’s highest temperature in an area did not exceed 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours according to the nearest National Weather Service reports for that area. An extreme weather emergency is over on the second business day the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
AVISO SOBRE EMERGENCIAS CLIMATICAS EXTREMAS
Esta comunicaci6n es Qara notificarle que su proveedor de agua y alcantarillado sanitario that Harris County MUD #208, es:
- prohibido imponer cargos por demora o desconectar el servicio de agua o alcantarillado por falta de pago de las facturas que vencen durante una emergencia climatica extrema hasta despues de que termine la emergencia;
- obligado a ofrecer un plan de pago a un cliente que solicite dicho acuerdo para las facturas adeudadas durante una emergencia climatica extrema; y
- prohibido desconectar el servicio de agua o alcantarillado por falta de pago de facturas adeudadas durante una emergencia climatica extrema hasta que se haya ofrecido un plan de pago y el cliente se haya negado a aceptar el plan de pago de manera oportuna o haya violado los terminos del plan de pago.
A los fines de este comunicado, una “emergencia climatica extrema” se define como un periodo que cornienza cuando la temperatura mas alta del dia anterior en un area no super6 los 28 grados Fahrenheit y se pronostica que la temperatura permanecera en ese nivel o por debajo de este durante las pr6ximas 24 horas. de acuerdo con los informes del Servicio Meteorol6gico Nacional mas cercano para esa area. Una emergencia climatica extrema termina el segundo dia habil en que la temperatura supera los 28 grados Fahrenheit.
2022 TAX RATE SET
The Board of Directors of Harris County MUD 208 (the district) voted to decrease the 2022 MUD Property Tax Rate to $0.36 per $100 valuation. The total tax rate consists of $0.07 per $100 valuation to pay the District’s debt service and $0.29 per $100 valuation to fund maintenance and operation expenditures for the next year. Please keep in mind this rate is for the district only. Other entities, including the county, school district, hospital district, etc., set their own rates.
The Board of Directors also authorized Bob Leared Interests, the tax assessor-collector for the district, to mail duplicate tax statements in January 2023. These statements will be mailed to homeowners whose original tax statement was requested by and mailed to a mortgage company AND remains unpaid at the time of the January mailing. If you receive a DUPLICATE TAX STATEMENT, this is your reminder to contact your mortgage company to ensure their timely payment of your MUD taxes by January 31, 2023. If you receive a statement, but escrow your taxes, it is your responsibility to forward the tax statement on to your mortgage company.
**This year the Harris County MUD #208 tax statements contain a QR code. When scanned with a smartphone this QR code will take you directly to the account on the tax assessor website and payment can be made at that time.**
You can view, pay, and print receipts for your MUD tax account online at www.bli-tax.com or through the Bob Leared Interests link on our website, www.harriscountymud208.com There is an additional processing fee when making online payments. In addition to paying through the website, you can pay the district taxes by phone, by calling OPAY Customer Service at (800)487-4567 between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm CST. You must tell the representative you need to pay your TEXAS taxes. You will need your account number which begins with “229”. There is an additional processing fee when making payments by phone.
If you have not received your 2022 Harris County MUD 208 tax statement by the end of November, and you are unable to locate your account online at www.bli-tax.com, please contact the tax assessor-collector at 713-932-9011 to discuss your tax account.
BOB LEARED IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH DOXO.COM