Author: HCMUD 502

Dear Customer:

Due to ongoing drought conditions, Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 502 has initiated Stage 1 water conservation measures. We may require mandatory water use restrictions if conditions worsen.

Voluntary water use restrictions now in place:

1. Water Customers are requested to limit all outdoor water usage, including, but not limited to, lawn and garden watering, car washing, and window washing to even-numbered days for Customers with even-numbered addresses and odd-numbered days for water Customers with -odd-numbered addresses, and only between the hours of 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and 12:00 midnight to 6:00 am In the even no street address exists, Customers living on the north and west side of a street should use water outdoors only on even-numbered days and Customers living on the south and east side of a street should use water outdoors only on odd-numbered days.

The Board of Directors appreciates your cooperation and perseverance during this Conservation Condition. Once the Conservation Condition ends, we will notify you, and you may then return to normal usage. If conditions should worsen, it may be necessary to proceed to Stage 2, at which time you will be notified of the more stringent restrictions to ensure the availability of water in your community.

Recently the Houston area has been experiencing hotter and drier than normal weather conditions, which has resulted in an increased demand on our water system. Please know that Harris County MUD No. 500, as Master District (MUD 500), is aware of the lower water pressure in its Service Area within the Towne Lake community during peak times, such as 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. MUD 500’s operator, Environmental Development Partners, has been conducting an investigation for any possible system irregularities and is reviewing several options to help alleviate the loss of pressure. As a community there are some ways you can help reduce demand during those peak usage times by varying domestic usage:

• • Landscape irrigation is the largest demand on our system. If you have an irrigation system, change your irrigation times to earlier hours in the morning such as between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., or move the time to 9:00 p.m. or later at night.
  • Over irrigating is the also one of the largest sources of overuse in our water supply. Want to know how long and how much to water? Check out https://www.watermyyard.org/#/Location
    There is a Cypress weather station monitored by Texas A&M AgriLife that provides watering recommendations.
• Consider showering at night instead of in the early morning hours.
• Run your dishwasher or washing machine during the day or just before going to bed at night.

You also can help do your part by ensuring you are using water wisely. In the Towne Lake Community, MUD 500 has partnered with the Towne Lake Community Association to allow the Association to use the water from the lakes to irrigate the medians and green spaces to minimize impact to our drinking water system. Among residents, a family’s water use can double or even triple during the warm summer months due to the impact of outdoor watering and irrigation, which can lead to significantly higher water bills. Here are some tips to help save water, and as a result, to help save you money.

On 2/17/2021, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the Harris County Municipal Utility District 502 to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals, or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of 2/22/2021.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact the District’s operator, Environmental Development Partners at 832-467-1599 or toll free at 1-866-467-1599.

So, what do I do after the Boil Water advisory has been lifted? Some guidance is available at https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/watersystemrepair.html and https://houstonemergency.org/wp-content/uploads/Boil-Water-Notice-2292020.pdf.

The Harris County MUD 500 Master District Service Area, including Harris County MUD Nos. 500, 501, 502, and 503, remain under a boil water advisory at this time.

As you may have heard, the City of Houston has lifted its boil water advisory. The City supplies potable water to the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (Authority), which in turn supplies water to the Master District.

The Authority and the Master District now are taking the steps necessary to lift their respective boil water advisories, including water sampling. If the results are satisfactory, the Authority and the Master District may be able to lift their boil water advisories this evening or tomorrow, February 23rd. We will provide updated information as soon as it is available.

We heard from the West Harris County Regional Water Authority this morning that they are beginning to receive surface water from the City of Houston and expect to begin delivery sometime later today.

The Towne Lake Community, including Harris County MUD 500, as Master District (which as you know supplies water to HC MUD Nos. 500, 501, 502, and 503), and Harris County MUD 172 are at the top of the priority list to start receiving surface water as soon as it’s available.

As you likely have seen on the news, the City of Houston, which provides the surface water to the Authority, currently remains on a boil water advisory, and the Master District likely will need to remain on a boil water advisory until approximately 24 hours after the City lifts its advisory. Currently, the City is estimating that its advisory will be lifted on Monday. If that occurs, the Master District may be able to lift the boil water advisory on Tuesday. We will keep you updated as we receive more information.