Wind greatly increases the risk of frozen pipes—even when temperatures don’t seem extreme.

• Wind accelerates heat loss: Moving air strips away warmth around pipes, causing them to cool much faster (wind chill effect).
• Faster freezing: Pipes on windward or north-facing sides, in crawlspaces, attics, or exposed areas freeze quicker because wind removes residual heat.
• Insulation can fail if unsealed: Insulation only works if it’s continuous and sealed. Wind blowing through gaps makes insulation ineffective.
• Moisture + wind worsens freezing: Wind speeds evaporation from wet pipes, pulling out even more heat.
• Running water helps, but isn’t foolproof: Slow drips may still freeze during prolonged cold and high winds.

How to Reduce Freezing Risk

• Block wind with barriers or enclosures
• Seal and secure insulation
• Use outdoor-rated heat tape
• Enclose exposed pipes where possible
• Disconnect hoses and cover outdoor faucets

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.

• Wrap exposed pipes from the ground up to outdoor faucets. Use faucet covers, rags, foam insulation, trash bags, or even towels. If you act now, foam wraps are still available at most hardware stores (before the rush).
• Cover vents around your home’s foundation to block cold air from entering.
• Disconnect and store hoses in the garage — don’t leave them attached to outdoor faucets.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets during cold snaps to allow warm air to circulate around indoor pipes.
• Protect outdoor electrical pumps — If you have a pool, either drain the lines or run the motor periodically (short bursts only — long runs can damage the pump).
• Going out of town? Consider turning off the main water valve and opening faucets to drain water from the pipes. This helps prevent any freezing damage while you’re away.

• Insulate your backflow preventer — that brass device sticking up a foot or two above ground. Wrap it with an old towel, foam, or insulation, and secure it with duct tape.
• Check for above-ground valves and pipes — These are especially vulnerable. Insulate or drain them as needed.
• Drain the system (if it has a manual or automatic drain valve), especially if a hard freeze is predicted. Standing water in pipes can freeze and lead to cracking or leaks.

The Board of Directors of Harris County MUD 208 (the district) voted to levy a 2025 MUD Property Tax Rate to $0.36 per $100 valuation. This adopted rate is the same as 2024. Please keep in mind this rate is for the district only. Other entities, including the county, school district, hospital district, etc., set their own rate each year, and mail a separate statement for payment.

The Board of Directors also authorized Bob Leared Interests, the tax assessor-collector for the district, to mail duplicate tax statements in January 2026. These statements will be mailed to homeowners whose original tax statement was requested by and mailed to a mortgage company AND the account remains unpaid at the time of the January mailing. If a statement is received and taxes are escrowed, contact the mortgage company to ensure payment is made by January 31, 2026.

The Harris County MUD #208 tax statements will contain a QR code which will lead directly to the account listed on the statement.

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 2025 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

Many times, when MUD 208’s operator, H2O Consulting, responds to customer’s requests to check their meter and a leak is found on the house water service line, the customer is surprised to learn that the repair is the customer’s responsibility. MUD 208 is responsible for providing water up to and through the water meter. The customer is responsible for the water service line from where it is connected to the water meter all the way up to their house. Likewise for the sanitary sewer service line, the home owner is responsible for the sewer piping from the house to its connection to the main sewer line. Even if the water service line or sewer service line is outside the homeowner’s property boundary, it still falls within the homeowner’s responsibility for maintenance and repairs.

The following sketch depicts and clarifies the homeowner’s vs MUD 208’s responsibilities:

Have you ever been driving down the street or out and about on a walk and see water coming out of a water meter or perhaps flowing out under a sidewalk? Prompt reporting is crucial to address potential emergencies swiftly.

M.U.D. No. 208 urges residents to report water or sanitary sewage emergencies promptly to our operator H2O Consulting by calling (281) 200-3388, available around the clock. Your swift action aids in timely repairs, preventing property damage and conserving our precious water resources. Please keep in mind every situation is different and in some cases a repair team will be dispatched immediately, while in other cases it may take a few days for repairs to be made.

When reporting, they’ll assess whether the leak originates from the districts’ infrastructure or within homeowners yard or residence. It’s essential for residents to locate their shutoff valves and understand the procedure for emergency shut-offs, ensuring swift containment of any leaks. Shut off valves can be located inside or outside the home or possibly in the garage.

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). With higher water usage, especially during the summer months, the WHCRWA fee can be more than half of the total water bill.  So, what is the WHCRWA fee? The video accessed via the following link, https://www.whcrwa.com/what-is-the-whcrwa-fee/, helps explain the purpose of this fee. It should be noted that the WHCRWA fee is strictly a pass-thru cost to our customers, with no mark-up, and is currently at $4.35 per every 1,000 gallons used. The District has no control over the WHCRWA rate.

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.