We have been advised by Best Trash that they will continue to pick up trash and yard waste all day today. Their first priority was to pick up the smelly trash first since it had accumulated from the holiday and no pickup on Monday. They will then continue to pick up yard waste as per the rules on our website. As long as it is bagged or bundled or in containers, they will pick it up. They told us they will continue to collect even if it takes till 10 p.m. tonight. They have their supervisors out driving trucks and, if a truck from another subdivision is finished, they are sending it to Bentwater to help collect.

Please note Best Trash cannot pick up large branches or loose trimmings unless they are bagged or bundled.

Thank you.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary

MUD 18 Newsletter
July – September 2024

Holiday Schedule for Best Trash

Please note the holidays for Best Trash: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If Bentwater’s pick-up day falls on one of these holidays, Best Trash will resume service on the next scheduled pick-up day – not the next calendar day.  Also, heavy trash is picked up each trash day as long as the rules are followed.

Also, Best Trash rewards its crews for positive feedback from customers, so if you see an employee doing something extra or worth noting let us know so we can pass it on.  Let’s let our crew know we appreciate their good service.

Drainage Maintenance

Hays Utility has started its annual clean up and repair of the drainage easements maintained by MUD 18 in preparation for hurricane season.  Drainage issues can be confusing as to who is responsible for correcting them.  Sometimes it is the homeowner’s responsibility, sometimes the Country Club, or the POA, or MUD 18.  If you know of any issue, please contact Hays Utility at 936-588-1166 to report it.  They will check it out and get back to you with an answer.

In the same light, if you see a water leak running down the street, a leaky fire hydrant, or a red light on one of the sewer lift stations, let Hays Utility know day or night.  It is up to us to help conserve our water resources.

Website

Please bookmark the MUD website for information about water, sewer or trash questions.  There is a lot of helpful information on the website (https://www.mcmud18.com) with links to other sources.

Suggested Watering Guidelines for Your Property

Proper watering is critical to your lawn’s health and vigor. Deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 3-5 inches per irrigation. This equates to 1-1.25 inches of water per week, split over several days.  Your run times should be adjusted based on how dry your yard is. Winter watering should have run times 50% less than your summer run schedule.

Watering is most beneficial to your grass when done in the morning (3 a.m. to 8 a.m.) rather than afternoon or evening.  Avoid overnight watering. Early morning watering allows the leaf blades to dry and reduces the risk of disease.  Do not water every day or two. Frequent, short watering encourages shallow roots, unhealthy grass plants, and turf susceptible to drought and disease.

Let the turf determine watering frequency. Since heat, humidity and rainfall vary, it’s best to water at the first signs of stress, not on a predetermined schedule.  As a note, St. Augustine turf has poor drought tolerance and requires more irrigation to survive during our long hot summers.

Water newer plants 3-4 times per week for no more than 5 minutes.  Keep the ground around new trees and shrubs moist initially using a soaker hose or drip line but gradually back off after two weeks.

Recommended Lawn Watering Schedule

Here are some general lawn-watering guidelines and tips:

Irrigation Spray Head Averages

• Pop-up spray heads: 10-12 minutes, 3 times per week = 1”
• Rotary spray heads:  16-23 minutes, 3 times per week = 1”

Suggested Irrigation System Settings

Some irrigation timers have a seasonal adjustment setting that enables you to reduce or increase watering without changing zone settings.  Suggested settings for our area are as follows:

November, December, January and February = 0%
March              50%
April                 70%
May                 80%
June                90%
July/August   100%
September     70%
October           50%

Your MUD Board:

Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary

Best Trash will not empty other company’s containers, please do not use Waste Management’s 96-gallon bins. If you want to get rid of them Best Trash will pick up the empty Waste Management containers on Monday February 12,2024. You can also take them to the Waste Management collection center in Conroe. As far as Waste Management is concerned the containers are yours to keep.

Your MUD board
Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary

Please be aware that changes are coming to your garbage and recycling services. The Montgomery County MUD 18 contract with Waste Management of Texas expires on December 31, 2023. Because Waste Management is changing to semi-automated pick-ups, which would mandate using wheeled bins like the 96-gallon recycling containers, the MUD board felt the new contract would not benefit Bentwater residents. Therefore, we accepted a new contract with Best Trash to provide all of Bentwater’s residential solid waste services, including collection of household garbage, bulk waste, yard waste, and recycling.

With Christmas and New Years falling on Mondays this year, Waste Management’s final pick up will be on Thursday December 28,2023 for trash and recycling. Best Trash’s first pick up will be on Thursday January 4, 2024 for trash and bulk items only. To better serve our residents, Best Trash will pick up garbage and bulk items on Mondays and Thursdays, and recycling will be picked up on Mondays.

Best Trash will provide each household with two 65-gallon containers, one for garbage and one for recycling. Yard waste can be placed in the garbage container or bagged and placed next to it. The same guidelines for garbage and recycling that applied to Waste Management will apply to Best Trash as to what is acceptable for pick up.
Once it is available, we will provide the schedule for delivery of the new containers to each home. There is no charge for these new containers. Since we are approaching the holidays, if you plan on being out of town, please arrange with a neighbor to move the new containers away from the curb. As of this time, we have not heard from Waste Management when they plan to collect the 96-gallon recycling containers. The existing garbage container is yours to keep.

Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
Lou Tichacek, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary