Author: TNW MUD

Reclaimed Water for Irrigation Project Update

Work is progressing on the T C Jester corridor, the 1st of the five sections to receive the new system. The project is on schedule and expected to be completed this fall.

Questions about the project? Send an email to the address below or, better yet, attend a monthly MUD Board meeting and ask your questions to the Board.

Park/Greenspace News

The new Terravista Detention Pond Greenspace crushed granite walking trail is complete. Final grading, rock work, hydroseeding, and amenities such as park benches and landscaping will also be added over time as the budget allows.

Summer is Here!

That means hot weather and higher water bills. The District has not raised residential water rates in over 10 years and the RWA reduced their rate twice last year. If your water bill has increased, it simply means you’re using more water.

To lessen the impact irrigation has on your water bill, now is a good time to;

Walk your irrigation system looking for line and or sprinkler head leaks.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to check your backflow preventer to ensure it’s working properly.

If you’re unsure about doing so, there are a number of competent irrigation companies that, for a fee, will do an inspection for you. Just Google “irrigation companies near me”.

The Texas A&M Agrilife website contains a lot of useful information regarding residential irrigation systems, including backflow preventers, installation and maintenance.
https://itc.tamu.edu/files/2018/05/Assembled-Manual.pdf

Are you overwatering your lawn and landscape beds? Most residents are. The district highly recommends using the free Texas A&M Agrilife “Water my Yard” website, https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/asset-local/water-my-yard-program/. It’s a great way to help you reduce the volume of water you are using for irrigation.After setup, you’ll receive an email every Monday with their watering recommendations for the coming week.

Have a pool with an auto fill? To prevent overflows, check it’s operation to insure it’s working properly.

The free EyeOnWater website, https://eyeonwater.com/signin, and app is a very effective tool to help you understand and manage your water usage. You can also set up a leak alert to warn you of potential leaks in your system.

Hurricane season is upon us, the MUD Board urges you to sign up ASAP for the District’s Emergency Broadcast Message System at https://terranovawestmud.classicmessaging.com/. If you are signed up, it’s a good idea to log into the system to verify your email address and mobile number are correct. This is the Districts main communication tool to advise residents regarding emergencies affecting the water/sewer system. The District does not post on social media.

Monthly MUD Board Meetings

Residents are encouraged to attend monthly Board meetings to learn what’s happening in the District. Regular monthly meetings begin promptly at 6pm, the third Thursday of every month at the clubhouse unless otherwise posted. Resident input is always the 1st item on the agenda. Agendas are posted on the clubhouse and on the District website no later than 3 days prior to
the meeting.

Can’t make a meeting? Looking for information? Have a concern or question?

Check out the District’s website at https://www.tnwmud.org.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, email the District at tnw.mud@gmail.com. You will always receive a prompt, accurate reply!

Your Terranova West MUD Board of Directors

Tom Lovell: President, Park/Green Space Oversight, current term ends 05/2027
Ken Barrett: Vice President, current term ends 05/2027
Rob Sorensen: Secretary and Water Plant/Generator Oversight, current term ends 05/2027
Larry Forrester: Treasurer, current term ends 05/2025
Nannette Burrage: Assistant Secretary, WEB Oversight, current term ends 05/2025

It’s that time of year again.

If you are experiencing water odor or taste issues, the condition may be caused by the annual algae bloom in Lake Houston during the summer months and is a common occurrence when the temperature in Lake Houston rises. The water the District receives from the RWA meets all regulatory standards and is safe to drink.

The City of Houston has created a Drinking Water Taste and Smell FAQ page on their website, https://www.houstonpublicworks.org/drinking-water-taste-and-smell.

The RWA & City of HOU jointly own the NE Water Purification Plant (NEWPP) that treats the water from Lake Houston. The plant is undergoing an upgrade expected to be completed later this year. The upgrade will include a new filtration system that is supposed to address the annual algae bloom smell & taste problem. Won’t help us this year but let’s hope it solves the problem for next year.

While no one likes to spend money, in-line water filters strategically placed on your kitchen, bathroom, and or laundry room lines can help. A whole home water filter system is another option but is more expensive to install.

If you wish to lodge a complaint, you can do so by calling the RWA at 281-440-3924.

The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s (HGSD) Water Conservation Grant Program will award the Terranova West Municipal Utility District (MUD) with up to $207,000 in funding to replace its irrigation systems with innovative technology designed to save over three million gallons of water each year. This new system will utilize reclaimed water and EPA WaterSense-labeled products to irrigate approximately 8.7 acres of land, including parks, street medians, and other green spaces more efficiently and effectively.

During the grant project kick-off meeting, Krystal Joseph, Terranova West MUD’s attorney, expressed, “The [Terranova West MUD] District is very forward-thinking, establishing this partnership is very important to us as our goals align with Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s goals.”

“Our goal is to save water and prevent subsidence. I lived in Baytown in the 1960s, I saw what can happen,” said Ken Barrett, Terranova West MUD’s Vice President, referencing the impact that subsidence had on Baytown’s Brownwood Subdivision which sank nearly 10 feet within three decades.

Terranova West MUD’s Board President, Tom Lovell shared, “We want to leave a legacy and hopefully be a model for other Districts.”

HGSD is proud to support such an impactful water conservation project and we look forward to sharing more details upon the project’s completion.

https://hgsubsidence.org/2024/06/05/terranovawestmudwaterconservationgrant

The District Board of Directors are very pleased to announce the adopted 2023 MUD tax rate has been lowered 4.5 cents per $100 assessed valuation from last year’s rate. The 2022 rate was .585 per $100 assessed valuation, this year’s rate is .5425 per $100 assessed valuation, a 7.26% drop with no reduction in services or capital improvement projects.

How was this possible on top of last year’s record reduction?  The biggest factor is the District retired the last of its outstanding bonds in 2022.

Your actual MUD Tax due depends on your 2023 appraisal as set by the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD).  If your tax bill is the same as or higher than last year in spite of the tax rate decrease, it’s because your 2023 HCAD property appraisal was higher than last year. The District has no influence or control over HCAD appraisals. For more information on your appraisal and what you can do to protest it, go to https://hcad.org.

The Terranova West Municipal Utility District will hold a public hearing on a proposed tax rate for the tax year 2023 on October 19, 2023 at 6:00 PM at Terranova West Clubhouse, 17623 Moss Point Dr, Spring, Texas, 77379 and by videoconference at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/98544269385. Your individual taxes may increase at a greater or lesser rate, or even decrease, depending on the tax rate that is adopted and on the change in the taxable value of your property in relation to the change in taxable value of all other property. The change in the taxable value of your property in relation to the change in the taxable value of all other property determines the distribution of the tax burden among all property owners.

Visit Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes to find a link to your local property tax database on which you can easily access information regarding your property taxes, including information about proposed tax rates and scheduled public hearings of each entity that taxes your property.

Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Rate (PDF)

The City of Houston (COH), the primary source of water for the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (Authority), has entered stage two of their Drought Contingency Plan, effective on August 27, 2023. The COH’s drought response calls for mandatory water conservations efforts to reduce water use, that will reduce the daily volume of water delivered. The Houston Public Works Release can be found under https://cityofhouston.news/stagetwodrought.

As required by the Authority’s Drought Contingency Plan, the Authority must enter Stage 2 of our Drought Contingency Plan, when the COH enters into Stage 2 water shortage of their Drought Contingency Plan. The Authority’s Drought Contingency Plan requires that any customer receiving water from the Authority or well owner whose well is included under the Authority’s Harris-Galveston Subsidence District aggregate water well permit:

• Repair detectible water leaks within 72 hours of discovery;
• Utilize water conservation measures such as displacement bags, low-flow shower heads and leak detection tablets;
• Limit outdoor irrigation to the hours 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day on no more than two (2) days per week, in conformity with the following schedule (no watering on Mondays):
  • Sundays and Thursdays for single-family residential customers with even-numbered street addresses
  • Saturdays and Wednesdays for single-family residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses; and
  • Tuesdays and Fridays for all other customers

Compliance with the above requirements is mandatory.

NHCRWA implements Stage 2 of the Drought Contingency Plan 08-24-2023

North Harris County Regional Water Authority

EyeOnWater App

Most residents have favorite phone apps they look at every day. The Board encourages residents to get in the habit of looking at the EyeOnWater app daily to monitor your water usage. Doing so can help you catch spikes in water usage that may indicate you are losing water somewhere in your home or yard. You are responsible for your water distribution lines beyond your Smart Meter. By law, the District cannot write off lost water on your side of the meter.  Doing so would mean the other District residents would be paying for your loss. Questions?  Send an email to TNW.mud@gmail.com.

The District has not raised water rates in many years and the NHCRWA recently reduced its fee so, if your water bill is increasing, it simply means you are using more water.

District Operator, H20 Innovation News

For those residents paying their monthly water/sewer bill by bank draft, H20 is changing their billing service software from AVR and RVS to Starnik. The change will require residents paying by draft to complete and submit a new draft payment form. H20 Innovation will be mailing the form and instructions to all residents paying by draft in the coming months.

Reclaim Water for Irrigation Project

The General Contractor laying the phase 1 main water line project has completed construction of the main water line and is expected to wrap up landscaping repairs by the end of July.

The District’s Engineer is preparing the phase 2 new irrigation system request for quote. Installation of the new reclaim irrigation system is planned for late fall.

Monthly MUD Board Meetings

Residents are encouraged to attend monthly Board meetings to learn what’s happening in the District. Regular monthly meetings begin promptly at 6pm, the third Thursday of every month at the clubhouse unless otherwise posted. Resident input is always the 1st item on the agenda.  Agendas are posted on the clubhouse and on the District website no later than 3 days prior to the meeting.

Can’t make a meeting?  Looking for information?  Have a concern or question?

Check out the District’s website at https://www.tnwmud.org.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, email the District at tnw.mud@gmail.com. You will always receive a prompt, accurate reply!

Your Terranova West MUD Board of Directors

Tom Lovell, President (Term Expires: May 2027)
Ken E. Barrett, Vice President (Term Expires: May 2027)
Nannette Burrage, Secretary/Web Oversight (Term Expires May 2025)
Larry Forrester, Treasurer/Assistant Secretary (Term Expires: May 2025)
Rob Sorensen, Assistant Secretary (Term Expires May 2027)