Latest News

The District has posted on this website its March 14, 2019 Drought Contingency Plan and its December 5, 2017 Strategic Partnership Agreement with the City of Houston. These documents are posted under the “Documents” section of the “Resources” tab.

Drought contingency plans are to be implemented during periods of water shortages and drought, either at the District’s own discretion or in conjunction with the North Harris County Regional Water Authority.

A Strategic Partnership Agreement is for the City’s limited purpose annexation of commercial areas in a MUD in exchange for sharing sales tax revenues.

Cypress Creek Utility District’s Board of Directors has implemented Stage 1 of the District’s Drought Contingency Plan, effective June 25 and continuing until a similar notice is provided that the implementation has been lifted. 

The goal is a 5% reduction in the use of all water and is voluntary at this time. Please conserve water daily under the following guidelines.

1. District customers are requested to voluntarily reduce all water usage.
2. Please check for and repair all leaks, including sprinkler systems, dripping faucets, and/or running toilets, and utilize water conservation measures such as displacement bags in toilet tanks, low-flow shower heads, and leak detection tablets.
3. All outdoor water use should be curtailed. Please do not irrigate at all on Mondays.
4. Residential customers with even-numbered addresses (or north & west sides of streets where no street address exists) should limit outdoor irrigation to Sundays & Thursdays between 7p & 5a.
5. Residential customers with odd-numbered addresses (or south and east sides of streets where no street address exists) should limit outdoor irrigation to Saturdays & Wednesdays between 7p & 5a.
6. All other customers should limit outdoor water usage to Tuesdays & Fridays between 7p & 5a.

Mandatory measures with penalties for violation may be imposed if a water shortage continues.

Surface Water Conversion

The CCUD Board has been notified that the District will soon begin receiving surface water. It could occur as soon as June 13, but the exact date is uncertain. The change in water disinfectant from chlorine to chloramines has been successfully completed without any complaints of district customers. Should customers experience any change in water color or water pressure during the change to surface water, please notify Water, Environmental & Technical Services, Inc at 281-469-2837. Please note you may notice a change in water flavor with the change to surface water.

North Harris County Regional Water Authority Fee Increase

The District will soon begin purchasing surface water from the NHCRWA and paying the NHCRWA’s purchase fee. Commencing with the District’s June billing cycle, the NHCRWA fee on your monthly water bill will increase from $5.06 to $5.56/1000 gallons of water consumed. This increase is directly related to the change from groundwater (well water) to surface water. Currently the NHCRWA fee on the average monthly residential water bill is about $39.16 for 7,740 gallons of water used, and with the increase it will be about $43.03, a change of $3.87. The increase will first appear on the bill you receive in July.

Dear Customer,

Cypress Creek Utility District (“District”) will soon be converting its water source from ground water to surface water. This surface water is supplied by the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (“NHCRWA”) from Lake Houston. In order to receive this surface water, the District must change the way it disinfects our water. Currently the District uses chlorine for disinfection and will be switching to chloramines for disinfection. For this change, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) requires the District to provide each customer with the notification on the reverse side of this letter.

NHCRWA advises homeowners who have water softeners to bypass their systems to prevent adverse impacts on plumbing and water quality due to the change in water quality of surface water.

We welcome your questions and / or comments. Please visit our web page (www.cycreekud.com) and sign up for the latest District information.

Sincerely,
Cypress Creek Utility District Board of Directors

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Notice of Conversion to Chloramine Disinfection

On May 16, 2022, the Cypress Creek Utility District will be changing the disinfectant that we use from chlorine to chloramines. This change is intended to benefit our customers by reducing the levels of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in the system, while still providing protection from waterborne disease.

However, the change to chloramines can cause problems to persons dependent on dialysis machines. A condition known as hemolytic anemia can occur if the disinfectant is not completely removed from the water that is used for the dialysate. Consequently, the pretreatment scheme used for the dialysis units must include some means, such as a charcoal filter, for removing the chloramine prior to this date. Medical facilities should also determine if additional precautions are required for other medical equipment.

In addition, chloraminated water may be toxic to fish. If you have a fish tank, please make sure that the chemicals or filters that you are using are designed for use in water that has been treated with chloramines. You may also need to change the type of filter that you use for the fish tank.

The April monthly meeting of the Cypress Creek Utility District Board of Directors has been postponed to April 21, 2022.

This postponement is to avoid conflict with Maundy Thursday services at many churches.

A meeting notice and agenda for this meeting are available on our website at https://www.cycreekud.com.

An election for District directors will be held on May 7, 2022. Please see the Notice of Election for more information.

Elections – Documents

• Notice of Election
  Aviso de Eleccion
  Thông Báo Bầu Cử
  選舉通告
  These notices will remain posted continuously until 7:00 p.m. May 7, 2022.

Cypress Creek Utility District has been notified that some recycling routes have been delayed.

Texas Pride pickup crews are working this afternoon to complete recycle routes. Any collections not completed today will be picked up tomorrow (Sunday).

Anyone whose pickup is not completed tomorrow may report the issue on the Cypress Creek UD website at: https://www.cycreekud.com

Click on the red button labeled “Report Trash/Recycle Problem.”

Notification from Texas Pride:

Dear valued customer,

Our crews are working hard to complete today’s recycle routes; however, we are experiencing some delays. Should we not be able to service you before the end of the day, we will service you tomorrow.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience, and feel free to contact our customer service department with any questions or concerns.

Texas Pride Disposal
Phone: (281) 342-8178 ( Monday-Thursday, 8:00-5:00; Friday 8:00-4:00 )
Email: service@texaspridedisposal.com

Wednesday, April 13th, 7:00 PM
Norchester Activity Center ( 13439 Jones Road, Houston, Texas 77070 )

Representatives from the North Harris County Regional Water Authority will be presenting information on the upcoming conversion of our water supply from well water to surface water. They will be able to answer questions about why, how and what effects conversion will have on our residential and commercial water supply.

The water disinfection process will be changing as well, mostly affecting taste and hardness of the water. There will be a lot of information about whether and how these changes will affect our home water filtration systems, water softening systems, aquariums, etc. The experts from NHCRWA will be able to answer your questions as they have been through conversions to surface water with other utility districts. CCUD will be sending informational updates throughout the conversion process but now is your chance to get best informed and have your questions answered.

There is a lot happening in the Cypress Creek Utility District (CCUD) in 2022 so we hope this newsletter helps to keep you informed and connected to activities in our CCUD community. For more details about our utility district and these topics over the next few months, please visit the CCUD website at www.cycreekud.com.

 

Trash / Recycle

Let’s start off with ongoing customer service issues with Texas Pride Disposal.  Due to the high number of complaints (especially after the ice storm and the 2021 holidays) our CCUD Board added a red button on the CCUD home page to “Report Trash/Recycle Problem”.

Congrats to those who found and used the red button after the January 8^th missed recycle pickup!  After reviewing the complaints submitted online and communicating with some residents, the board is working closely with Texas Pride to send earlier communications to residents if there will be a change in the pick-up schedules.

NOTIFICATION TO RESIDENTS WILL BE DONE BY EMAIL AND TEXTS.  If you have not already submitted your information to receive these communications and wish to do so, go to www.cycreekud.com and click on “SIGN UP FOR DISTRICT ALERTS” at the top right corner of the home page.

Conversion to Surface Water

WHEN:  The BIG change to CCUD customers in 2022 will be conversion from well water to surface water.  We are on track to make the conversion in Spring, 2022, possibly in April.   Once a definitive timeline is established, CCUD district customers will be informed.  Watch for announcements in your monthly bill and by email notifications.

WHY: Widespread use of ground water has caused land to subside throughout Harris County. CCUD is located within the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA), a regional entity created to address subsidence. The regular increases in your water bill are directly linked to actions of NHCRWA and CCUD in preparing for the change in water supply.

In your January utility bill you received an insert from the NHCRWA, “The Rising Cost of Water”.  In this pamphlet, you will find an article titled, “The Mandate” which explains the purpose of conversion to surface water.

“Groundwater withdrawal in Harris and Galveston counties is regulated by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD), a special purpose district created by the Texas Legislature in 1975 for the purpose of reducing land subsidence.

The HGSD requires the North Harris County Regional Water Authority to convert to an alternate water source via a 30% reduction of groundwater usage by 2010, 60% by 2025 and 80% by 2035.”

HOW:  The conversion to surface water means that our water will change from well water to surface water from Lake Houston.  You may have already seen construction work in our district to lay the new water pipes. The conversion to surface water may result in a change in taste due to the change in mineral content.  At first you may also see a color change – if so, we ask that you report any color change to the water district operator, Water, Environmental & Technical Services (WETS) at 281-469-2837.

A special note about water softeners: Surface water tends to be lower in hardness and alkalinity.  Water softeners can alter the stability of the water to your home.  Due to the change in water quality of surface water, NHCRWA advises homeowners who have water softeners to bypass their systems to prevent adverse impacts on plumbing and water quality. Ultimately this is the homeowner’s decision, and if you have questions about your water softener system you should contact your water softener manufacturer’s representative or service company.

Resources for more information:

• Video and more articles about the Rising Cost of Water: https://www.nhcrwa.com/
• Community Impact Article Jan/Feb 2010: Subsidence Forces Shift to Surface Water:  https://community-impact-website.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/wpengine/uploads/archives/NWH/issues/NWH-2010-01.pdf

Upcoming Sanitary Sewer Improvements

A sanitary sewer rehabilitation project is tentatively scheduled to begin sometime around May or June.  The project area is generally north of Norchester Village Drive and south of Idlebrook Drive.  Excavation is not anticipated.  Work will be performed within the sanitary sewer system by accessing manholes which are generally located in back yards.

Required Lead and Copper Testing

The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions took effect December 16, 2021 and require water utilities to make comprehensive reviews of their service lines, including customer lines.  Utilities may have to work in customers’ homes to comply with new “find and fix” requirements or face stiff penalties.

Testing in customer homes will begin later this year, schedule TBD.  All customers will be informed before testing begins. More information will come at a later date.