Sanitary Sewer Cleaning and Video Inspections – Phase 1 Area

Sanitary sewer cleaning and video inspections is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, December 21, within the Phase 1 area.  The Phase 1 area is west of Jones Road, from Archmont Drive to Dunbrook Drive. Residents within this area should have already received a preliminary notice for the upcoming work on the front door. If any residents within the Phase 1 area have not received a “1-week notice” on the front door, please call Mike Blasczyk at 832-396-1233 or Dale Rogers 281-898-0636 with Insituform Technologies, LLC.

A second notice will be posted on the front door of the residents in Phase 1, 24-hours before work begins at any residence. Residents within the Phase 1 area should check their front door daily for the 24-hour notice.

Sewer Improvement Project

Cypress Creek Utility District has contracted with Insituform Technologies, LLC to perform sanitary sewer cleaning, video inspections and sanitary sewer improvements. Work is scheduled to begin about December 19, 2022, with no work occurring on weekends, and no work occurring between December 23rd – 26th, and between December 31st – January 2nd. This project is tentatively scheduled to continue through July 26, 2023.

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.

Throughout the project, a 1-week notice, and a 24-hour notice will be placed on the front door of the homes which will be affected by the sanitary sewer televising. At that time, residents who are given notices will be asked to do the following while work is going on (typically work will be completed at a given residence within one workday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.):

  • Close all toilet lids
  • Keep pets restrained
  • Provide access to any sanitary sewer manholes
  • Keep gates unlocked
  • Do not wash clothes or dishes, take showers, take baths, or flush toilets

If you have any questions or concerns, call Mike Blasczyk at 832-396-1233 or Dale Rogers 281-898-0636 with Insituform Technologies, LLC.

Withdrawal of Stage 1 Drought Conditions

North Harris County Regional Water Authority has withdrawn implementation of Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan.

Stage 1 drought conditions have been lifted. Thank you for your cooperation during this time in helping us to conserve water.

Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Rate

The CYPRESS CREEK U D will hold a public hearing on a proposed tax rate for the tax year 2022 on October 13, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. at 10643 Mills Walk Drive, Houston, TX 77070. 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 vour 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.

Click here to read the notice.

Summer / Fall 2022 Newsletter

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:

  1. Put your trash in trash bags BEFORE you put the trash in the outdoor cans.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

 

Additional Documents Posted

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.

Implementation of Stage 1 Conservation Measures

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.

Two Important Notices from Cypress Creek Utility District

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.

Notice of Conversion to Chloramine Disinfection

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


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.