MUD 18 Newsletter
October – December 2022

2022 Tax Rate
The new tax for 2022 will be $0.26 per $100 of valuation.  This is a $0.03 drop from the previous year.  On average, the home valuation in the district increased about $50,000, and the Board wants to maintain the revenue as close as possible to last year.  Last year the average tax bill was $1,452, while this year it will be $1,454.  Please note that this is an average, meaning some bills will be higher and some bills will be lower than the average.  Everything will be based on your property’s assed value and if you had a successful protest outcome.  It is the intention of the Board to collect only what is needed to meet our debt obligations and our planned capital expenditures in the five year plan to maintain the Districts plant and equipment.

Construction on FM 1097
Starting October 3, 2022, you will begin to see construction on the South side of FM 1097 for a 12-inch water main from Water Plant 2 to the East entrance of Bentwater.  This project will loop Bentwater’s entire water district to provide redundancy and better maintain constant water pressure.  If for some reason there is an issue at one of our water plants the other plant will be able to maintain the district without any noticeable effect.

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

Seasonal Watering Recommendations
January & February – Rainfall is usually adequate.
Water if no rainfall for four weeks.
March, April & May – Water only once per week if less than one inch of rainfall occurs.
June, July, August & Early September – Water each section heavily at least twice a week if less than one inch rainfall.

Late September & October – REDUCE WATER FREQUENCY!
Early fall is Brown Patch Season, and excess water triggers this disease. During September water only once per week if no rainfall and every two weeks in October if no rain.
November & December – Rainfall is usually adequate. Water if no rainfall for four weeks

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:

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
Lou Tichacek, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary