This year has been very active for the CCUD, from election of board members, to a new water source and much more. We hope you find this newsletter to be informative. As a reminder, the CCUD Board generally meets on the second Thursday of the month at 10643 Mills Walk, Houston, Texas 77070 and all district residents are welcome to attend. For more details about our utility district and these topics over the next few months, please visit the CCUD website at www.cycreekud.com.
CCUD Board Member Election May 7, 2022
Congratulations are in order for our newly elected board members, Robert Camp and Cathy Dunn, as well as reelected board member, Glenn Land. Also, appreciation is due for our outgoing board members, Robert Jackson and Rob Nixon, who faithfully served our community well for combined service of over 20 years.
New officer positions were voted upon at the election canvass meeting on May 17th. The District is run by an elected Board of Directors made up of five members, which serve staggered four-year terms, as follows:
- Robert Camp, President (Term Expires: May 2026)
- Theresa Dildy, Vice President (Term Expires: May 2024)
- Richard Harman, Secretary (Term Expires: May 2024)
- Catherine Dunn, Director (Term Expires: May 2026)
- A. Glenn Land, Director (Term Expires: May 2026)
Drought Contingency Plan
On June 22, 2022 North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) entered Stage 1 of their Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). They requested 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:
- Check for and repair all leaks, dripping faucets, and running toilets.
- Utilize water conservation measures such as displacement bags, low‐flow shower heads and leak detection tablets. Additional water conservation tips can be found at https://wateru.nhcrwa.com and irrygator.com.
- Limit irrigation to no more than two days per week, between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. WATERING IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY CAN WASTE UP TO 65% OF THE WATER THROUGH EVAPORATION. Follow the schedules below:
- 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.
- Tuesdays and Fridays for all other customers.
- No watering on Mondays.
Compliance to the above recommendations is voluntary.” Further updates on changes in the drought contingency plan will be posted on the district website and sent by email for those that have signed up to receive email notifications.
Checking for Water Leaks
Water conservation measures always include checking for water leaks. Some water leaks are obvious while others are not. Here are simple ways to check:
- Select a set time of day when you know you are not using water. Check your water meter numbers at the beginning and end of the time period. If the number increased, water was used.
- Many, but not all, of our district residents have a Smart Meter. If so, you can check your water usage by the minute, hour, day, week and month by going to eyeonwater.com. You will have to set up an account to access information for your residence. Instructions on how to set up your account can be found at www.waterbillonline.com.
Toilets are the #1 causes of most internal leaks because they cannot be seen, the water goes straight into the sewer. One leaking toilet can waste as much as 8 gallons an hour! Our operators can provide customers with toilet leak detection strips if they are requested.
Whose responsibility is it to repair water leaks? If the leak is on the customer side, it will be going through the water meter and the customer will be charged for it. In that case, the customer needs to call a plumber. When the leak is the District’s responsibility, the leak is before the meter and can usually be seen in the street or in the yard near the street. If there is water leaking in the street or in the yard near the street, please call the district operators, Water, Environmental & Technical Services, at 281-469-2837 for further assistance.
Update on Conversion to Surface Water
The CCUD began receiving surface water on June 21st. Our district operators, Water, Environmental & Technical Services (WETS), have received few complaints and addressed those. Some residents have noticed a taste difference in the water but others have not, possibly related to the use of home water filters. As always, if you see a color change or notice a change in water pressure that is not corrected in the short term, we ask that you call and report the issues to WETS at 281-469-2837.
REMINDERS:
- RATE INCREASE: The District purchases surface water from the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) which charges a purchase rate that is higher than the pumpage fee the District previously paid on groundwater. Therefore the District’s NHCRWA charge has gone from $5.06 to $5.56 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed.
- 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.
Notice of Townhall Meeting
The North Harris County Regional Water Authority, Regional Water Corporation and the Water Users Coalition are planning a townhall meeting regarding surface water conversion. The townhall meeting will be held on October 11, 2022 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Cypress United Methodist Church, 13403 Cypress North Houston Road in Cypress, TX 77429. This meeting is designed to educate utility district residents on the conversion from groundwater to surface water.
Upcoming Sanitary Sewer Improvements
A sanitary sewer rehabilitation project, originally scheduled to begin sometime around May or June, was delayed due to a longer than anticipated time required to obtain regulatory approvals. The project is now expected to begin sometime in November or December depending on the material supply availability and other factors. 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 
Since we have a change in source water, TCEQ requires CCUD to begin another round of lead and copper sampling. This must be done between July 1st and December 31st, 2022. We have begun to put the sample site list together for TCEQ approval. Since we must take twice the number of samples that we usually take, we will need to locate new sample sites and customer participation.
If you are interested in participating and having your home considered as a sample site, please call Cypress Creek Utility District at 281-469-2837.
Texas Pride Fee Increase & Reminders for Service
At the July Board meeting, the CCUD directors approved a rate increase for trash service as requested by Texas Pride to account for the rising costs associated with inflation. Therefore the sewer charges, which include trash, increased in July from $47.20 to $51.35.
Reminders to facilitate and improve trash service:
- Put your trash in trash bags BEFORE you put the trash in the outdoor cans.
- Place your trash cans and/or trash bags near the garage or side-yard gate so they are visible from the street. Residents can also place their trash cans and/or trash bags at the curb.
- For recycling on Saturdays, DO NOT put your recycled items in plastic bags (or it could be mistaken as trash). Place all items to be recycled in a recycling bin.
- Residents are urged to put their trash outside by 7:30 a.m. on trash collection days. Texas Pride uses a crew to walk through our neighborhood for the purpose of moving trash cans and bags from side-yard gates and garages down to the curbs. This curbside trash consolidation may begin as early as 7:30 a.m., and once it has happened for your street, any trash that you might place afterward outside of your side-yard gate and garage may be missed when the truck passes by. It is advisable, therefore, when placing trash outside later than 7:30 a.m. to place it at curbside.