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

Voluntary Water Conservation is in effect due to Hurricane Beryl. The MUD 208 Water Plant is running on emergency power, please continue the Voluntary Water Conservation until further notice.

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.

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.

With freezing temperatures right around the corner, it’s a good time to refresh ourselves on precautionary measures for drops in temperature and cold weather.

The Four P’s to Prepare your Home this Winter:

• People
• Pets
• Pipes
• Plants

People

• Avoid going outside if it is not necessary. If you do, make sure you layer up from head to toe.
• To keep you and your family safe, it is imperative your home is warm.
• Make sure your heat is set to an appropriate temperature to make your entire home comfortable. Remember, heat rises so if you sleep upstairs, your room may be warmer than rooms downstairs.
• If you use a fireplace, make sure you have a screen to catch any embers that might escape or a rolling log.
• Never use your stove or oven to heat your home.
• If you smell smoke or see flames, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Pets

• While protecting your family, it is imperative to protect your pets as well.
• Pets, like humans, are vulnerable to cold temperatures. If not taken care of properly, they can succumb to frostbite and even hypothermia.
• If you have a dog that typically lives outdoors, consider letting them inside when temperatures drop to freezing. While their fur does help to keep them warm, it provides little help in freezing temperatures.
• If you absolutely cannot bring them inside, make sure they have a warm shelter, plenty of food and fresh water so it does not freeze.
• If your pet looks like it has any symptoms resembling frostbite or hypothermia, call your vet.

Pipes

• Turn off the sprinkler system shut-off valve. Most residential devices have two shut-off valves. These are typically covered in blue on the valve handles and located before and after the sprinkler system backflow device. A diagram is shown below.
• Release the water pressure from the bleeder valves. The bleeder valves are usually located under the top of the backflow device. If the water does not stop flowing you may have not shut the valves off completely.
• Leave the smaller bleeder valve open, this will let any remaining water in the line expand without breaking the device. Insulate your backflow device. Most hardware/home services stores carry backflow insulation supplies.
• Make sure to cover all your exposed pipes with a cover. You can also cover your pipes with towels, duct tape or another adhesive strip as long as they are wrapped tightly.
• You can also open up the cabinets to let warm air circulate throughout your home. Just make sure any harmful chemicals are out of reach for children and pets.

Plants

• When cold weather hits, it’s a good idea to bring in all of your outdoor plants.
• If you can’t bring in the plant, cover it with a blanket to make sure they do not die.

Other Tips

• Don’t forget to make sure your car is okay for the freezing temperatures. Check your anti-freeze and your batteries. Also make sure to check your tire pressure and the tread.
• Speaking of cars, make sure when you are on the road that you are mindful parts of the roads may be frozen, particularly bridges. Do not speed and never slam on the brakes.
• Make sure if you use a generator, it is outdoors. Do not use a generator inside, including in your garage.

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

It is that time of the year again to considering turning off your sprinkler system. St Augustine grass is normally dormant in the winter, requiring very little watering. Texas weather can change quickly, especially in the winter. When a bitter cold front rolls in, spring like conditions can give way to freezing temperatures within hours. By turning off your system now, besides saving water, your irrigation system can be winterized (see discussion below) ahead of any freezing weather.

When water freezes, it expands. If ice forms in your home’s water pipes, it can shatter pipe seals or the pipes themselves, sending water pouring throughout your house. Most residents in the area have copper or PVC pipes, which are susceptible to freezing and breaking in subfreezing temperatures if not adequately insulated.

You can avoid thousands of dollars of damage to your walls, ceilings, carpets, and furniture by making a little investment in time to prepare before the first cold spell hits.

BEFORE THE FREEZE

• Use faucet covers, or wrap rags, paper, trash bags, or plastic foam around faucets and outdoor pipes from the ground to the faucets. Insulated foam wrap and covers are available from any home supply or hardware store.
• Cover any vents around your homes foundation.
• Bring water hoses indoors. PRIOR TO HARD FREEZE.
• Open the cabinets under the sinks on your kitchen and bathroom to allow heated indoor air to circulate around water pipes.
• Protect outdoor electrical pumps. If you have a swimming pool, either drain the circulation system or keep the pump motor running. (Run the pump motor only in a short freeze. Running the motor for long periods could damage it.)

If you leave town, or are gone during the night, consider turning off your water at the master shut-off valve while faucets are running to drain your pipes. Simply turn it off like you would any faucet. (Make sure the faucets are turned off before you turn the shut-off valve back on.) If you drain your pipes, shut off the hot water heater and protect the hot water from freezing.

IF YOUR PIPES FREEZE

• Turn off your water at the master shut-off valve. If you are unable to turn water off at the master shut-off valve contact the District’s operator, H2O Consulting 281-861-6215 to turn the water off at the meter.
• Call a plumber for help as needed.
• Don’t use lamps or electrical appliances to thaw frozen pipes. Leaking water from thawing pipes could cause a short and you could be electrocuted.
• If you try to thaw your pipes, apply heat slowly, and move it toward the coldest spot on the pipe. Never concentrate heat in one spot – cracking ice can shatter a pipe. Never use an open flame of any sort.

IF YOU HAVE A LOSS DUE TO THE FREEZE

• Contact your insurance agent or company promptly. Follow as soon as possible with a written claim to protect your rights under Texas’ prompt-payment law. Review your coverage.
• Check to see if your policy requires you to make temporary repairs to protect your property from further damage. Keep all receipts and damaged property for the adjuster to inspect. If possible, take photos or video of the damage before making repairs.
• Don’t make permanent repairs. An insurance company may deny a claim if you make permanent repairs before an adjuster inspects the damage.
• Be advised that most homeowner policies do not cover loss caused by freezing pipes while your house is unoccupied unless you have made a reasonable attempt to:
  • Maintain heat in the building
  • Shut off water supply
  • Drain plumbing, heating, & air conditioning systems of water

WINTERIZE YOUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM

During the winter months, it is important to winterize the parts of the system that are above ground and susceptible to a hard freeze. This will include at a minimum, your backflow preventer and depending on the system, some valves and pipes. Your backflow preventer is a brass device that sticks up out of the ground about a foot or two. Proper insulation of the backflow and its piping will protect against leaks while also protecting you as it was designed to do. If your system has a drain valve, you might also consider draining the system before any hard freeze is scheduled to come to Copperfield. Water standing in the pipes can freeze which could lead to unwanted leaks.

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.