MUD 18 Newsletter
April – June 2025

This month we would like to provide some background concerning Bentwater’s MUD, also known as Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 18 (the “District”).

MUD 18 is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, organized as a conservation and reclamation district.  It was created by Order of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (the “TCEQ”) on September 12, 1973.

The District consists of approximately 1,479 acres of land, all of which is located in the Bentwater subdivision.  The District is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of five members who manage and supervise all affairs of the District.  Additionally, there are eight consultants employed by the District to handle day to day operations: Coats Rose, P.C.; Hays Utility North Corporation; District Data Services, Inc.; Masterson Advisors, LLC; Bleyl Engineering; Equi-Tax, Inc.; Mark C. Eyring, CPA, PLLC; Infinity Services, LLC.

The District supplies water through four wells with a capacity to pump 6,600 gal./min. There are five ground-level storage tanks that hold 2,670,000 gallons, and two water plants to treat and pressurize the water.  Since we pressurize the water there is no need for a water tower.

We also provide tertiary sewage treatment, which is the final stage of wastewater treatment, removing pollutants and pathogens from wastewater through the use of physical, chemical or biological processes. The goal is to make treated water safe to reuse, recycle or release into the environment. This is accomplished using two clarifiers and 28 lift stations with a capacity to treat 328,500,000 gal./year.

Over the past 49 years, MUD 18 has provided the residents of Bentwater an uninterrupted supply of quality water and sewage treatment.  Neither storms, hurricanes, freezes, nor power outages has caused our systems to fail.  All of our equipment is supplied with emergency backup generators to prevent power loss.  We winterize our equipment to prevent freezing.  We keep an inventory of spare pumps and parts to rapidly replace failed equipment.  Our operator has workers on site to handle any emergency that arises during the day, and people on call during off hours to rapidly respond.  In most cases homeowners are not aware of any issues as they are handled immediately without any noticeable interruption of service.

There are many news stories about municipalities that are having water quality or supply issues and sewage problems.  Not Bentwater!  Through our five-year plan, we continually update our systems as they reach the end of their useful life.  The board is actively involved not only in day-to-day operations but planning for the future.

The District is able to provide these services at one of the lowest water and tax rates in the greater Houston metropolitan area.

The District also is responsible for maintaining the five dry creek beds and outfalls that move storm water through Bentwater and into Lake Conroe, as well as all the storm drains on the roadways in Bentwater.  MUD 18 also provides garbage, recycle and bulk trash pickup, which is included in your monthly water bill.

Some interesting facts about the District:  We pump on average 500 million gallons of water a year and treat 129 million gallons a year through our sewer treatment plant.  That means 70 percent of what we pump is used for irrigation, pool filling, car washing, pressure washing or drinking which does not go through our sewer treatment plant.

We wanted to make you aware of the scope of the District’s responsibilities and the professional and efficient way in which they are handled.  Nevertheless, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact MUD 18.

Suggested Watering Guidelines for Your Property

With high heat and drought conditions expected over the coming months, it is important to conserve water.  Since each property has different landscaping layouts and sizes, it is important to review the watering guidelines and make adjustments to suit your particular conditions.

Deep and infrequent watering is best for your lawn’s health and vigor. 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 three days.  Irrigation system run times should be adjusted based on how dry your soil is. Watering is most beneficial to your grass in the early morning (3 – 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.

Irrigation Spray Head Averages

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

Our Website : https://www.mcmud18.com

Your MUD Board:

Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
John Crystal, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
Terry Gent, Assistant Secretary

MUD 18 Newsletter
January – March 2025

Best Trash One-Year Anniversary

One year ago, we switched Bentwater’s trash company from Waste Management to Best Trash.  Here is an update on why we switched and how things are going.

At the end of 2023, Waste Management informed us of proposed changes to our contract that we found unacceptable. Because they were switching to an automated pickup, both trash and recycle would have to be in their 96-gallon containers.  Also, we would have been reduced to one trash pickup, one recycle pickup, and one heavy trash pickup per week.  If trash and recycle were not in their bins, they would not be picked up because there was just one employee on the truck – the driver.

The MUD board felt this did not meet the needs of most residents of Bentwater, so we searched for a new provider.  Best Trash gave us a proposal that we felt would work well for our community and would actually be less expensive. We would get two trash pickups and one recycle pickup per week, plus two heavy trash pickups per week.  Both providers required that our new contract include an annual escalation factor based on the relevant CPI index.

Once the provider transition was complete and residents learned the new schedule and procedures, things have been running smoothly. Baring major weather events and normal holiday schedules, trash and recycle have been picked up on a regular basis with no disruptions.  Please remember that when a holiday falls on a regular pickup day, the company will not pick up until the next regularly scheduled pickup day.  The holidays are Christmas, New Year’s, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.  Also, please note that if a storm disaster is declared, Best Trash will not pick up storm debris.

In review, Bentwater’s garbage and heavy trash pickups are on Monday and Thursday, while recycle is picked up on Mondays.  If you bag your recycle items, they must be in a clear plastic bag so the items are visible to the crew.  Otherwise, they might mistake the bag for trash and not pick it up.  If you fill up your recycle bin, extra items can be placed next to the Best Trash bin in carts not over 50 gallons, or bags or boxes weighing no more than 40 pounds.  If the garbage bin is full, an extra cart not over 50 gallons or bags weighing 40 pounds or less can be placed next to it.  It is suggested that the trash and recycle bins be placed on opposite sides of your driveway, when possible, to avoid confusion.  Best Trash begins servicing our neighborhood at 7:00 a.m., so containers must be at the curb by then.

If you have issues with garbage or recycle, the suggested method of communication is to go to the Best Trash website https://best-trash.com/contacts/ and scroll to the bottom of the page to the contact form where you can report missed pick-ups or report damage to your cart.  Best Trash will repair or replace your cart at their discretion.

For detailed information about water, sewer and trash service, please go to the MUD website at https://www.mcmud18.com/

The MUD board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 9:30 a.m. at the country club and are open to the public.

Sign Up for Online eStatements and Bill Pay

Signing up is easy!  There are two ways to do this – online or by calling First Billing.

To sign up, follow these steps:

• You will need your account number from a recent statement.
• Go to https://haysnorth.firstbilling.com to the First Billing site, or call (855) 270-3592.
• Click on “create new account.”
• Your account number will be a 15-digit number in this exact format: 19908-0123456789.  Everyone in MUD8 has the same first 5 digits (19908), then a dash, then your old 10-digit account number with no dashes. The statement you receive in May will have the new 15 digit account number.
• Enter your zip code and email information.  Create a user name and password, then confirm your password. You will get an email back which you will need to click on to confirm your email.
• Sign-in. You can then register for eStatements, pay a bill, set up auto pay, etc.
• We encourage everyone to sign-up for eStatements so you can get your statements anytime from anywhere. This is free. You will get an email each month when your statement is available. You can also review all of the other bill pay (auto bill pay) options.
• If you are currently having Hays debit your bank account automatically, this will not change. You do not need to sign up for a new bill pay method. But we would still appreciate it if you would sign up for eStatements.

If you have any other questions about service or billing, please contact the district operator:
Hays Utility North Corporation
Billing address: P.O. Box 1170, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Physical address: 375 Lake Meadows Dr, Montgomery, Texas 77316
Phone: (936) 588-1166

Your MUD Board:

Susan McFarland, President
David Parkhill, Vice President
John Crystal, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
Terry Gent, Assistant Secretary

With the latest snow forecast for Tuesday, Best Trash will be closed for regular operations tomorrow.

Please see the revised schedule below for the tentative schedule for the rest of the week.

• Monday:    We will run a regular service day.
• Tuesday:    Closed.
• Wednesday: Delayed start.
• Thursday:   Delayed start.

Note: If the landfills close due to inclement weather, we cannot run our routes on those day(s).

The guidelines are subject to change depending on the actual weather conditions.

If we are unable to run our routes on your scheduled service day, your pick-up will be on the next scheduled service day.

If plants die due to the weather, they will be considered storm debris and handled accordingly.

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