Summer Water Conservation Rates
Higher summer water conservation rates are now in effect, go to Water and Sewer Rates
Summer Water Conservation Rates
Higher summer water conservation rates are now in effect, go to Water and Sewer Rates
MUD 208 Entering Stage 1 Drought – Voluntary Conservation
As a result of the ongoing power outages, WHCRWA, one of our major water suppliers, has started Stage 1 Drought Contingency and requested all districts do the same. We request that all MUD 208 residents follow our district’s Stage 1 Drought Contingency Plan.
- 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
Construction on Royal Gardens at Park Falls
MUD 208 will be repairing and replacing an underground water line and pavement on Royal Gardens at the Park Falls intersection. The work will start on May 1st and will take approximately 3 weeks. During this construction, Royal Gardens will be restricted to one-lane traffic at various times. Please use caution and follow warning signs when driving in this area.
Summer Water Conservation Rates
Higher summer water conservation rates are now in effect, go to Water and Sewer Rates
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 the 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.
Your Water Meter Can Detect Leaks – EyeOnWater App
All MUD 208 residents now have smart meters that allow users to access their water usage online and set up leak alerts. Unfortunately, many residents are not taking advantage of this FREE tool, the EyeOnWater app. Once registered for an online account, customers will be able to see how water usage spikes on the days their sprinkler system is active. Another advantage is that customers can receive leak alerts. With this feature, if water is flowing continuously for 24 hours at a customer specified rate, say 1 gallon per hour, the customer is notified by a text and/or email that their household has a leak. For example, the first graph below shows usage did not reach the set threshold line every hour so no alert is sent. In the second graph, usage exceeded the set threshold line every hour for 24 hours so an alert is sent.
Once a 24-hour period goes by with water flow less than the specified value, an alert is sent that the leak has stopped.
The EyeOnWater app lets you be in control. How’s that you ask? It allows you to engage with how you use water and see your latest water usage, understand how much water you use, detect leaks and discover when you use the most water. It also lets you:
- Quickly View your recent water usage with a two-week comparison.
- View detailed water usage history by day, week, month, and year.
- Discover your short and long term water usage trends
- Monitor your water usage, even when you are away from your home!
Plus, you can easily contact us! This is all simply at your fingertips and part of our service with the smart meters!
There are several ways to sign up for EyeOnWater. You can click on this link Smart Meter Account Sign Up which will send you to the smart water meter webpage on this website. Another way to sign up is with your smart phone. Scan this QR code below to be directed to the EyeOnWater website or find EyeOnWater in the app store.
No matter how you sign up, you will need the following information to register your account:
- Your zip code
- 10-digit account number shown on your water bill – Example: 53208-XXXXX
- E-mail address (your e-mail address will not be sold or distributed)
Start taking control of your water usage – sign-up now!
Water Rate Increase
The Board of Directors of Harris County MUD 208 (the District) voted an across-the-board water rate increase to our customers. The base rate (minimum charge) has increased by $1.50 and the usage tiers have increased by $0.50 per 1,000 gallons. To view the new rates, go to Water and Sewer Rates. This is the first overall water rate increase in the District’s water fees since 1996, that is 28 years ago. In 2010, to aide in the District’s water conservation effort, a 4th tier was added to the rate structure for >30,000 gallons a month users. The sewer rate has increased by $1.00 to $16.00 flat rate. With these increases, the average water user in our District will see approximately a $3.00 increase monthly. For top water users (> 30,000 gallons) the increase would be about $17.00. These new rates equate to about a 6% increase (this percentage varies depending on actual usage).
The monthly water bill has 3 components, the Base Water Charge (District’s water rates), the Base Sewer Charge (District’s sewer rate) and the WHCRWA Charge (West Harris County Regional Water Authority rate). The District’s sewer rate is not only based on the sewer system infrastructure maintenance costs but also a user connection fee imposed by CJOB (Copperfield Joint Operations Board) who manage the sewage treatment plant. The WHCRWA charge is a pass-thru cost to our customers and is currently at $4.35 per every 1,000 gallons used. The District has no control over the WHCRWA rate.
The District’s Board felt this water rate increase was necessary as a result of rising costs as well as an aging infrastructure that is requiring more repairs as well as major component replacement and upgrades, see Aging Infrastructure & Drought-Like Weather – A Bad Combination article below.
2023 TAX RATE SET
The Board of Directors of Harris County MUD 208 (the district) voted to keep the 2023 MUD Property Tax Rate at $0.36 per $100 valuation. The total tax rate consists of $0.09 per $100 valuation to pay the District’s debt service and $0.27 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 2024. 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, 2024. 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 2023 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
FALL BACK & TURN OFF
Fall is back and with it, the crisp cool air in the morning! One thing we all need to remember as Houston’s temperatures begin to drop and we enjoy the beautiful weather outside, is to adjust our sprinkler systems.
We have noticed in the past, that some residents choose to leave their sprinkler systems on during the winter. Remember leaving them on can cause the grass to become shallow and unhealthy. The basic rule of thumb is to turn off your sprinklers during the winter months.
H.C. M.U.D #208 recommends out residents
TURN OFF the sprinkler system and winterize
the pipes when it’s time to reset our clocks for
the end of daylight savings time.
Don’t forget about your sprinkler system! Sprinkler systems need to be winterized as well, since the PVC pipes are so close to the top of the ground, making them susceptible to a hard freeze. This will include at a minimum, your back flow preventer and depending upon the systems, some valves and pipes. Your back flow preventer is a brass device that sticks up out of the ground about a foot or two. Proper insulation of the back flow preventer and it’s piping protect it against leaks. If your system has a drain valve, you might also consider draining the system before a hard freeze is expected in the area. Water standing in the pipes can freeze, which could lead to unwanted leaks. The following short video describes a method for winterizing your irrigation system:
Only you have control over your sprinkler system!
When the clocks “Fall Back: Don’t let your irrigation get off track!
Turn your sprinklers OFF for the winter!
EVERY DRIP COUNTS!