Author: HCMUD 489

Dear Water Customer,

On September 22, 2021 Harris County MUD No. 418 rescinded Stage 2 of its Drought Contingency Plan (“DCP”). With the recission of Stage 2, Stage 1 of the DCP went back into effect. The target for Stage 1 is a 10% water usage reduction through voluntary means. At this time, the goal has been achieved and the DCP is no longer in use.

Though the restrictions are no longer in place, we encourage residents to continue irrigating on alternate days (Even addresses Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday; Odd addresses Saturday, Monday Wednesday). For more information on how to program your sprinkler controller, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUoir-wk2Yc or your MUD District websites (hcmud419.com or hcmud489.com).

The District would like to thank residents for their cooperation.

Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service department at (281) 579-4500 if you have any questions or concerns.

Update: September 28, 2021

Please be advised, due to unexpected field issues the conversion has been pushed back. More details and a date for reschedule is currently underway. Thank you for your patience! Should you have any questions, please call Inframark at (281) 579 4500.

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Dear Harris County MUD #419 & 489 Resident,

The Harris County MUD 418 public water system, (PWS) ID 1013329, will be converting four sections of Harris County MUD #489 served by Water Plant #1 to Water Plant #2. Please be advised, Water Plant #1 utilizes a combination of groundwater and surface water, while Water Plant #2 operates off groundwater only.

The main difference between the two sources is the required disinfectant. Surface water requires chloramines (a mix of chlorine and ammonia), while groundwater calls for free chlorine. Public water systems are required to properly disinfect their water and maintain an adequate disinfectant residual in the distribution system. Free chlorine is widely used as a disinfectant because it persists for long periods, while also limiting the formation of disinfection by-product contaminants.

The conversion will take place on Monday, September 27, 2021, and is meant to provide relief on the demand at Water Plant #1. During this period, you may experience taste and odor changes associated with this type of disinfectant conversion that will resolve within two weeks.

The sections that will be affected include:

• Mission Tejas
• Enchanted Rock
• McKinney Falls
• Goose Island

Please see attached map with the affected area highlighted in yellow. Additionally, Water Plant #1 service area is highlighted in blue, and Water Plant #2 service area is highlighted in green.

Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service at (281) 579-4500, should you have any questions or concerns.

Dear Water Customer,

On August 30, 2021 Harris County MUD No. 418 implemented Stage 2 of its Drought Contingency Plan (“DCP”). The target for Stage 2 is a 20% water usage reduction through restrictive measures and community participation. At this time, the target goals in reducing the daily water demand as set forth by the DCP Stage 2 have been achieved for 7 straight days and we can rescind water use restrictions, per TCEQ.

Please be advised, with the recission of Stage 2, Stage 1 of the DCP goes back into effect. As a reminder, the target for Stage 1 is a 10% water usage reduction through voluntary means. The District would like to thank residents for their cooperation.

Though the Stage 2 restrictions are no longer in place, we encourage residents to continue irrigating on alternate days (Even addresses Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday; Odd addresses Saturday, Monday Wednesday). For more information on how to program your sprinkler controller, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUoir-wk2Yc or your MUD District websites (hcmud419.com or hcmud489.com).

Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service department at (281) 579-4500 if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Bob Thomas/Dr. Anthony McBride
President, Board of Directors

Trash Routes not completed on 09/14 in Bridgeland will be completed today.

Dear Water Customer,

In light of the recent implementation of Drought Contingency Stage 2, the District would like to provide further clarification on the issues at hand. The problem is supply and demand related.

• Supply: New facilities waiting to be approved for use by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) hinder groundwater production capabilities.
• Demand: The average daily water usage is higher in Bridgeland than other communities, especially during summer months. Additionally, the timing of irrigation systems create an issue with “Peak Demand” and acts as a major factor triggering the event.
• Objective: maintain sufficient supply and pressure at all times to fight a fire, which is at risk with our current supply/demand situation.

The Stage 2 Drought Contingency triggers are as follows:

1. The Average Run Time for the Wells is at or above 20 hours for three consecutive days,
2. The District utilizes an equivalent amount of surface water (or combination of surface water and ground water has been utilized) for three days; or
3. A Water System failure has occurred.

In this case, Stage 2 was triggered by the Average Run Time for the groundwater wells and the amount of combination water the Districts are utilizing. The facilities infrastructure has the capacity to provide an adequate amount of water to the growing community, however, the problem arises because of peak demand.

Usage is not linear, and the data shows that peak demand occurs from 3 am- 8 am in the morning. This is when most homes are set for automatic irrigation. After the Water Plants meet the irrigation demand throughout the early morning hours, the ground storage tanks are at low levels, which creates pressure concerns and puts firefighting capabilities at risk. During normal operations, the MUD does not set any restrictions on days—every address can set a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and create a very high demand peak. There is an easy fix to smooth the demand—alternating days.

Additionally, the Drought Contingency Plan is a state document and the language is set in place by the TCEQ. Though it is titled “Drought Contingency,” the point of the plan is to keep demand within supply capabilities, regardless of the reason. This plan can be triggered by drought, over-watering, equipment breakdown, etc.

Immediate solutions:

• Inframark has dispatched an Operator in the early morning hours to run the water plants manually in order to maintain adequate levels and pressures. This has been in place for 2 weeks.
• MUD has implemented alternating watering days (odd/even addresses).
• Residents should check their irrigation system controls to comply with the schedule (Sunday/Thursday for Even numbered addresses, Saturday/Wednesday for Odd numbered addresses).
• The District has requested TCEQ expedite review and approval of the completed well, so we can put it into service.
• Construction on an additional well begins this month. Typical construction time is 9 months to a year.

As the weather begins to moderate in late September / early October, we expect residents to irrigate less and the problems should self-correct. By this time next year, we should have new facilities online that will provide the needed capacity.

Sincerely,

Bob Thomas, MUD 419 Board President
Greg Henry, MUD 489 Board President

Dear Water Customer, In June 2021, Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 419/489 (the “District”) implemented Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan (“DCP”). The target for Stage 1 is a 10% water usage reduction through voluntary means. The District would like to thank residents for their participation and efforts. However, water demand has continued to increase despite implementation of Stage 1.

Due to the increased demand on the regional water plants serving the Bridgeland community (measured through run hours on the groundwater wells and equivalent treated surface water demand), the District is implementing Stage 2 of the DCP. The target for Stage 2 is a 20% water use reduction and requires participation from all customers within Bridgeland (residential and commercial). Harris County MUD 418 owns, operates and maintains the regional water plants and key storage infrastructure serving all water customers within the boundaries of the Bridgeland. In this capacity, MUD 418 is coordinating the implementation of Stage 2 with all Bridgeland MUDs in an effort to work together for community success.

Pertinent Stage 2 restrictions are summarized below, while the appendix to this letter contains precise language included in the DCP. The complete DCP can be found on the District websites at www.hcmud419.com / www.hcmud489.com.

Customers must limit outdoor water usage to two days a week, between the hours of 8:00 pm and 6:00 am:

• Even Numbered Addresses: Sunday and Thursday
• Odd Numbered Addresses: Saturday and Wednesday

Furthermore, typical activities that will be limited include:

• Landscape watering,
• Decorative or recreational water usage (fountains, pools, etc.); and
• Washing vehicles.

Note that WCID 157 and WCID 159 will not be held to irrigation restrictions, as these Districts use non-potable reused water from the lakes to irrigate common areas.

Please be advised, Stage 2 will go into effect Friday, September 3, 2021. Failure to comply may result in surcharges.

When there are changes in the implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan, the District will send out additional notification to its Water Customers. Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service department at (281) 579-4500 or Dispatch at (281) 398-8211, if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Bob Thomas / Greg Henry, President
Board of Directors

Click here to read “Stage 2 of Drought Contingency Plan” notice.
Click here to read Drought Contingency Plan.

Please be advised, as a courtesy to residents, the HC MUD 489 Board of Directors have implemented a High User letter program. These notifications serve to friendly remind consumers to conserve water and assist in monitoring usage. An example of this notification can be found below.

Example Letter (PDF)

Dear Harris County MUD #489 Resident,

The Harris County MUD 418 public water system, (PWS) ID 1013329, will convert the disinfectant used in the distribution system from free chlorine to chloramine in specific sections of Harris County MUD 489. The conversion will begin on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, and is meant to provide some relief on the demand at Water Plant #2. During this period, you may experience taste and odor changes associated with this type of disinfectant conversion.

Public water systems are required to properly disinfect their water and maintain an adequate disinfectant residual in the distribution system. Chloramine, free chlorine combined with ammonia, is widely used as a disinfectant because it persists for long periods, while also limiting the formation of disinfection by-product contaminants.

The sections that will be affected include:

• Parkland Square
• Mission Tejas
• Enchanted Rock
• Goose Island
• McKinney Falls
• Cedar Hill
• Copper Breaks
• Balmorhea

Please see attached maps.

Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service at (281) 579-4500, should you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Mackenzie Osborne, Account Manager

Dear Bridgeland Resident,

Due to high demand on the potable water system, Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 489 (HC489) is implementing Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). This means that the irrigation of landscaped and other areas shall be voluntarily limited to:

• Sundays and Thursdays for Retail Water Customers with an Even Numbered Address, and
• Saturdays and Wednesdays for Retail Water Customers with an Odd Numbered Address.

Irrigation of landscaped areas is further voluntarily limited to between the hours of 8:00 p.m. on the designated watering day(s) and 6:00 a.m. on the following day(s). Retail Water Customers are requested to practice water conservation and to minimize or discontinue Non-essential Water Uses.

Once Bridgeland is no longer in a drought contingency situation, HC489 will send out additional notification to residents. Please reach out to Inframark’s Customer Service department at (281) 579-4500, should you have any questions or concerns.

• Winter Storm Uri Presentation (PPT)