Author: CCUD

Effective April 1st the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) will be raising the rates that it charges the Cypress Creek Utility District (the District). Accordingly, the District is passing through this rate increase.

Therefore the NHCRWA charge on your water bill will increase from $4.24 to $4.68 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed on your water bill.

Currently the average monthly residential NHCRWA charge on your bill is about $26.97. The new rate will be about $29.77, a $2.80 increase.

Mr. Jim Robertson, from Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition, gave an interesting presentation at the March 12th CCUD board meeting. In addition to his role as Chairman of the Cypress Creek Greenway Project, he has volunteered much of his time advocating for flood control in our neighborhoods.

CCFCC was formed in 1999 in response to the floods in ’98 and ’94. Acting more in an advocacy role, they work closely with the Harris County Flood Control. Members of CCFCC currently include 24 MUDS, 51 HOA’s and civic associations as well as 121 individual supporters.

CCFCC is a nonprofit organization (501-C3) with a budget of $30,000 to $40,000 which is used mainly to fund flood related studies. For more information on these studies and historic milestones click here: http://ccfcc.org/historic-milestones .

Here is some other interesting information shared by Jim:

• 15% of the $2.5 billion flood bond monies has been designated to projects in the Cypress Creek watershed, all of which have begun. To review all projects, go to Cypress Creek Flood Control website: https://www.hcfcd.org/Find-Your-Watershed/Cypress-Creek
• The most prominent need right now is federal funding for the upper watershed “Cypress Solution” (3rd reservoir function) which was the area thought to be responsible for the Tax Day flooding.
• Another prominent focus is an underground tunnel drainage conveyance system.

Jim encouraged community involvement by inviting everyone to the CCFCC open monthly meetings, typically the 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 6:30 pm at 14223 Lakewood Forest Drive, Cypress. Also, financial donations are always appreciated since they are the only source of CCFCC funding. For more information on CCFCC, click here: http://ccfcc.org/

The water supply of the Cypress Creek UD was not affected by City of Houston’s major water line break on Thursday, February 27, 2020. There will not be a boil water notice issued by Cypress Creek UD at this time.

Cypress Creek UD receives its water from wells owned and operated by the district. Cypress Creek UD has no connection with any City of Houston water lines and therefore the crisis in the City of Houston has no effect on Cypress Creek UD’s water system. Therefore there is no need to boil water in Cypress Creek UD at this time. If Cypress Creek ever does have an incident where a boil water notice would need to be issued, Cypress Creek UD will notify its customers. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (the “TCEQ”) requires that a boil water notice be issued if the water pressure in a public water system falls below the minimum requirement. The district monitors and tests the quality of the water frequently once the water from our wells reaches the districts water treatment plant.

A good way to stay informed of a rare emergency instance where we would need to inform our customers is to sign up for email and text message alerts on our website.

Do you have questions about flood mitigation efforts in the Cypress Creek watershed area? There is much information “out there” but reliable facts and information are sometimes difficult to obtain. As homeowners in the Cypress Creek watershed area, we need and deserve sound information to make the best decisions for our home and families.

The Cypress Creek Flood Control website has a list of Q & A’s that should provide answers to most of your questions. Here is an example of some of the questions addressed:

• Will The 2018 Bond Program Prevent All Flooding In The Cypress Creek Watershed?
• Is Upstream Development Causing The Cypress Creek Watershed To Flood?
• Why Is Property Acquisition A Large Part Of The Flood Control District’s Strategy In The Cypress Creek Watershed?

For a complete review of Cypress Creek Flood Control Q & A’s, go to: https://www.hcfcd.org/Find-Your-Watershed/Cypress-Creek/Cypress-Creek-FAQs

The sanitary sewer rehabilitation project will be started on the main line along Balcrest Drive to Normont Drive. The work was scheduled to begin January 20 and last through January 31. The work should have minimal effect on traffic

For more information concerning the entire scope of the water lines and sanitary sewer lines rehabilitation for Norchester, go to the CCUD website at CyCreekUD.com.

The Harris County Engineering Department – Recovery & Resilience Division (HCED-RRD) completed a preliminary subdivision drainage study for Norchester. The study includes improvements that will add storm drainage capacity. The total estimated cost for the project is $11,918,041. The HCFCD Bond Program will pay for 50% of project costs. HCED-RDD is requesting Cypress Creek UD to pay the remaining 50%.

• Harris County Proposal for Norchester Drainage Improvements – Timeline of Events and Funding
• Harris County Norchester Drainage Map
• Harris County Norchester Drainage Letter – 2019-09-30

Cypress Creek Utility District has secured low-interest loans using Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF). These State Revolving Fund programs are administered by the Texas Water Development Board. DWSRF will be used to fund replacement of the District’s water line infrastructure along portions of Jones Road and Balcrest Drive. CWSRF will be used to fund Phase 1 and Phase 2 of sanitary sewer system rehabilitation within certain portions of Norchester. These projects are expected to start before the end of the year.

As part of Cypress Creek UD water and sewer system rehabilitation, there will be soil test sampling going on around Norchester this weekend, Saturday (9/14) and Sunday (9/15). Sampling will be performed by Geotech Engineering at various locations in the subdivision. One or more trucks will be operating both days.

Work will require isolated lane closure to accommodate the vehicle performing the proposed work. This work should have little effect on traffic. However, please drive with caution.

If you’d like to sign up to receive important news and updates from the district via text messages, you can send a text message to the number 832-852-3168 with the word CCUD and you’ll be registered.

Text STOP to 832-852-3168 at any time to opt out. Message and data rates may apply.

You can also register to receive this information via email by visiting our Email Alerts Sign Up page.

Sequence of events over the last several years that led to increased taxes for repairing and rehabilitating the water and sewer systems.

Utility District Tax Rates

Summary (PDF)

• May 10, 2010 – Vote Passed
• April 17, 2014 – Report on the CCUD Town Hall Meetings
• October 15, 2014 – Vote “For” the CCUD Bond Election
• June 22, 2016 – Upgrades to CCUD
• October 24, 2018 – Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Rate
• November 6, 2018 – Events and Dates Leading to the Necessary Increase of Taxes
• December 18, 2018 – Well Water vs Surface Water