MUD 18 Newsletter
Fall/Winter 2020-21

Hurricane Preparedness: We are currently in the hurricane season that runs from June 1 to November 30. Considerable damage has been sustained by our neighbors in Louisiana. Bentwater residents should be prepared for the effects of major storms. Educational information prepared by NOAA includes the following:

• Determine your risk
• Develop an evacuation plan
• Assemble disaster supplies
• Check insurance coverage
• Strengthen your home
• Help your neighbors

More specific guidelines from NOAA regarding hurricane preparedness can be found on the MUD 18 website at www.mcmud.com.

Financial: As of September 2020, 99.1% of taxes have been collected for the District for 2019. The District approved the 2020 tax rate at $0.16 for debt service and $0.16 for maintenance and operations for a total tax rate at $0.32 per $100 taxable value. The tax rate for 2020 is down $0.01 from the previous year.

1. Debt Service of $0.16 is down $0.01 from the previous year. The District has not needed to sell any new bonds since 2011 and such pay downs and pay offs of earlier bonds have reduced the amount required to meet Debt Service obligations.
2. Maintenance and Operations (M&O) of $0.16 covers maintenance of all our facilities including water plants, waste treatment plants, lift stations, storm drainage infrastructure and distribution lines. Costs of M&O have been stable the past year.

You should receive your tax bill in October and payment is due by January 31, 2021.

Sewer, Trash & Recycling: As we move into fall, please bag leaves and/or shrub trimmings and tie up trimmed tree branches for garbage pick-up. When left in the street, yard debris can block sewer drains. Waste Management picks up on all holidays but Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. If trash pick-up falls on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year on a regularly scheduled trash/recycle day, pick-up will occur on the next regularly scheduled day. Recycle pick-up only occurs on Thursdays. If a holiday occurs on a Thursday, trash will be picked up on Monday but recycle will not be picked up until the following Thursday.

Winter Watering Tips: 1. Winter tips for watering: In the event of a freeze advisory, please be certain to run your irrigation to fortify your plants and flowers. It takes longer for well-watered plants to freeze. After watering, then cover all the plants and flowers that are susceptible to freeze damage. If some plants do get freeze damage, do not trim off the dead parts until late January, when most of the severe weather has passed. The dead parts will help protect the plants and flowers from another freeze. 2. The irrigation schedule can be set to once a week or less until February if the rainfall has been moderate. Contrary to popular belief, the winter is a very dry climate. The fact is that the cooling weather withdraws moisture from the plants, moisture which must be replaced to maintain your lawn and landscape in optimal condition.

In July 2020, the District approved an extension of a 12-inch waterline to be placed along FM1097 that crosses at the east end of the proposed new fire station. The new fire station will be located across from the Bentwater West Gate. The construction of the new waterline has been completed. Costs of the waterline were covered by the fire station.
Fencing additional property around Water Plant No. 1 was also completed in September.

Need to Report a Problem? Do not assume the problem has already been identified or reported. If you observe a water leak, sewer odor, discolored water, open manholes, alarms are sounding, or other problems, please help us by calling: Hays Utility Service @ 936-588-1166.

Hays has someone in Bentwater every day, seven days a week. They can and will respond 24 hours a day. Their general office hours are from 8:00AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday.
Sign-up for E-Blasts: If you are not receiving our E-Blasts, you are missing out on timely information. Go to our website at www.mcmud18.com and give us your email address. Your address will not be shared with anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Meetings Open to the Public:
Our regularly scheduled monthly meetings are the 3rd Tuesdays at 9:30AM in the Country Club Cypress Room. Meetings are open to the public. The agenda is posted on our web site and the message board in the breezeway entrance to the Country Club Grill near the Golf Pro-shop. During the COVID19 restrictions, meetings of MUD18 have been conducted by Zoom. If you wish to attend a meeting, please contact Susan McFarland for the meeting ID code. Minutes from meetings are published on the MUD 18 web site.

Your MUD Board:

Rex Cambern President
Lou Tichacek Vice President
Susan McFarland Treasurer
Gary Montgomery Secretary
Nancy Busen Assistant Secretary

Please recycle this newsletter.

MUD 18 Newsletter
Summer 2020
www.mcmud18.com

MUD 18 Website: The new website for MUD 18 was fully launched in 2020. Analytics are prepared monthly, and data indicates that the greatest usage occurs around holidays. The website is intended to provide the MUD 18 community with the most current information and to maintain compliance with State legislative requirements. Access to the MUD 18 website is www.mcmud18.com.

Board of Directors: The MUD 18 Board of Directors consists of 5 members elected by registered voters in the District for staggered four-year terms. Candidates for the directors’ election scheduled for May 2, 2020 were certified as unopposed and no election is required. Pursuant to the Order of the Election of Directors, the candidates were declared elected at the May 2020 Board meeting. Nancy Busen and Lou Tichacek will serve another term.

MUD 18 Taxes: As of May 2020, 97.4% of 2019 taxes have been collected for the District. Although few, unpaid taxes are turned over for collection and homeowners are contacted by letter and phone calls.

Watch the Weather and Water Smarter: Texas summers are generally hot and dry. Water between Midnight and 6 AM to help maintain a consistent water pressure in our wells and to encourage your lawn to soak up moisture and avoid run-off. Run-off from watering a lawn can waste a significant amount of water. Avoid short, frequent periods of watering to encourage the roots of plants and trees to seek water at lower depths. With an automatic irrigation system, have someone monitor your watering system while you are away in case of rain For more details, check Texas A & M website at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu.

Trash & Recycling: The COVID19 pandemic affected the Bentwater community as residents complied with quarantine guidelines. Because more people dined at home, and children and adults were studying or working from home, household trash and recyclables increased almost 17%. Waste Management was able to keep to a regular schedule and very few pick-ups were delayed even though the company dealt with their own work restrictions.

Waste Management picks up on all holidays but Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year. If trash pick-up falls on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year on a regularly scheduled trash/recycle day, pick-up will occur on the next regularly scheduled day. Recycle pick-up only occurs on Thursdays. If a holiday occurs on a Thursday, trash will be picked up on Monday but recycle will not be picked up until the following Thursday. To schedule a heavy trash pick-up, please contact Waste Management at 1-800-800-5804.

Upgrade of Fire Station No. 55 on FM1097 at the West Gate: Texas Department of Insurance has approved the upgrade of the Montgomery County ESD from a Class 4 to a Class 2 (Community’s Public Protection Classification) effective April 1, 2020. Homeowners in Bentwater should notify their insurance carriers of this upgrade as it may decrease your homeowner’s insurance rate. You and your insurance carrier can verify this upgrade at http://www.mcesd2.org/content/iso. This site will take you the Texas Department of Insurance Document that you will need for your insurance carrier.

Encroachments and Easements: Prior to building structures on any Bentwater property, residents should review the Bentwater Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions on the POA website. Sections 2.02-2.05 deal with easements. Residents may petition the MUD 18 board for Consents to Encroachment of water, sewer, and utility easements.
Need to Report a Problem? Don’t assume the problem has already been identified or reported. If you observe a water leak, sewer odor, discolored water, open manholes, alarms are sounding, or other problems, please help us by calling: Hays Utility Service @ 936-588-1166.

Hays has someone in Bentwater every day, seven days a week. They can and will respond 24 hours a day. Their general office hours are from 8:00AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday.

Sign-up for E-Blasts: If you are not receiving our E-Blasts, you are missing out on timely information. Go to our website at www.mcmud18.com and give us your email address. Your address will not be shared with anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Meetings Open to the Public:
Our regularly scheduled monthly meetings are the 3rd Tuesdays at 9:30AM in the Country Club Cypress Room. Meetings are open to the public. The agenda is posted on our web site and the message board in the breezeway entrance to the Country Club Grill near the Golf Pro-shop. During the COVID19 restrictions, meetings of MUD18 have been conducted by Zoom. If you wish to attend a meeting, please contact Susan McFarland for the meeting ID code. Minutes from meetings are published on the MUD 18 web site.
Your MUD 18 Board:

• Rex Cambern – President
• Lou Tichacek – Vice President
• Susan McFarland – Treasurer
• Gary Montgomery – Secretary
• Nancy Busen – Assistant Secretary

MUD 18 Newsletter
March—May 2020
www.mcmud18.com

New MUD 18 Website: As of December 2019, a new website for MUD 18 was
launched. Created by 1190 Designs, the new website is intended to provide the MUD 18
community with the most current information and to maintain compliance with State legislative
requirements. Policies that govern the District have been reviewed and/or revised as of
November/December 2019 and are published on the new website at www.mcmud18.com.
MUD 18 Taxes: The MUD 18 Board approved the tax rate at $0.33 per $100 of
assessed property value. The certified value of property in the District remained relatively stable
from the prior year. The MUD 18 tax rate has remained even for the past four years. The tax
rate is composed of two components:

1. Debt Service of $0.17 is down $0.02 from the previous year. The District has not
needed to sell any new bonds since 2011 and such pay downs and pay offs of earlier
bonds have reduced the amount required to meet Debt Service obligations.
2. Maintenance and Operations (M&O) of $0.16 (up $0.02 from the previous year) covers
maintenance of all our facilities including water plants, waste treatment plants, lift
stations, storm drainage infrastructure and distribution lines. M&O expenses have risen
modestly due to the growth in our facilities and aging of the facilities requiring more
maintenance, repair and replacement.

You should have received your tax bill in October and payment is due by January 31, 2020.
As of November, 99.3% of 2018 and 12.6% of 2019 taxes have been collected for the District.

Watch the Weather and Water Smarter: Many homeowners in Bentwater have St. Augustine
grass. St. Augustine grass grows well in nearly all soil types and tolerates shade, heat, and
some drought but does not tolerate waterlogged soils. To keep your lawn healthy, water only
when the grass needs it. Wet the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Then don’t water again until the
grass shows symptoms of drought stress. This usually occurs in 5 to 10 days, depending on the
weather. When appropriately watered, the St Augustine grass will send out its roots deeper and
deeper into the soil in search of water as the topsoil begins to dry out.

Run-off from watering a lawn can waste a significant amount of water. The factors determining
how quickly run-off occurs are the type of soil and the application rate of the sprinkler system.
Do not apply water faster than the soil can absorb it. To prevent run-off: 1. Check the lawn while
watering. If water begins running into other surfaces, note how long it took before run-off
occurred. This is the maximum amount of time you should water at one time. 2. Stop watering
and allow the soil surface to dry (30 minutes to 1 hour). 3. Begin watering again and continue for
the time you’ve determined. With an automatic irrigation system, have someone monitor your
watering system while you are away in case of rain. http://aggieturf.tamu.edu.

Sewer, Trash & Recycling: Approximately half of the wastewater plant was refurbished in
2019 and the remainder will be completed in 2020. Phase I of the wastewater treatment plant air
diffusers was completed in 2019 with Phase II completion scheduled for 2020. The Hidden
Creek Lift Station was retired in September by redesigning and connecting the wastewater lines.
This saves operational and maintenance costs for the District.

Please bag leaves and/or shrub trimmings and tie up trimmed tree branches for garbage pickup. When left in the street, yard debris can block sewer drains. Waste Management picks up on
all holidays but Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year. If trash pick-up falls on Thanksgiving,
Christmas or New Year on a regularly scheduled trash/recycle day, pick-up will occur on the
next regularly scheduled day. Recycle pick-up only occurs on Thursdays. If a holiday occurs on
a Thursday, trash will be picked up on Monday but recycle will not be picked up until the
following Thursday.

Water: Water Plant No. 2 rehabilitation has been completed. The Cooling Towers, the water
well and the plant became operational again in August. Approximately one quarter of waterline
pigging was completed in 2018-2019 and with the remainder scheduled for 2020-2021. Line
pigging is an internal pipe-cleaning process used to remove the build-up of salts/minerals from
the inside of water pipes. Current water usage rates can be found on the MUD 18 website.

Need to Report a Problem? Don’t assume the problem has already been identified or
reported. If you observe a water leak, sewer odor, discolored water, open manholes, alarms are
sounding, or other problems, please help us by calling: Hays Utility Service @ 936-588-1166.
Hays has someone in Bentwater every day, seven days a week. They can and will respond 24
hours a day. Their general office hours are from 8:00AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday.

Sign-up for E-Blasts: If you are not receiving our E-Blasts, you are missing out on timely
information. Go to our website at www.mcmud18.com and give us your email address. Your
address will not be shared with anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Meetings Open to the Public:
Our regularly scheduled monthly meetings are the 3rd Tuesdays at 9:30AM in the Country
Club Cypress Room. Meetings are open to the public. The agenda is posted on our web site
and the message board in the breezeway entrance to the Country Club Grill near the Golf Proshop. Minutes from meetings are published on the MUD 18 web site.

Your MUD 18 Board:

Rex Cambern – President
Lou Tichacek – Vice President
Susan McFarland – Treasurer
Gary Montgomery – Secretary
Nancy Busen – Assistant Secretary

To read a Neptune E‐Coder water meter:

1. Shine a flashlight on the photoelectric eye (look for the flashlight symbol) to activate the screen. The screen eventually will begin to flash between “Reading” and “Rate”.
2. The “Reading” is all water that has passed through the meter in its lifetime – measured in gallons. This is the reading used for billing purposes. Charges are based on units of 1,000 gallons of water used. Be sure to look for the decimal point when reading (see Photo 1). You can calculate how much water is used in a given period by recording the reading at the beginning of the period and at the end of the period. The total water used during that period is:
   • End reading – Beginning reading = Total water used during that period in gallons.
   • Example for a Residential Service:
   • Initial reading collected on 4/1/2013: 005234.12 gal
   • Second reading collected on 5/1/2013: 009438.23 gal
   • 9438.23 gal ‐ 5234.12 gal = 4204.11 gal water used between 4/1/2013 and 5/1/2013. This calculates to be 4,204.11 gallons used during this period. Note that for billing purposes the amount of water used in gallons is rounded down to the nearest 1000 gallons so 4,204.11 gallons becomes 4,000 gallons billed.
3. The “Rate” is the amount of water (in gal /min) that is passing thru the meter at that moment. The ”Rate” can be used for leak detection: if all water in the building is shut off and a rate is observed this means that water is flowing through the meter. Since all water is shut off there must be leaking somewhere in your system.
4. There is a leak indictor faucet icon (see Photo 2) built into this meter, that will either be on solid or flashing indicating that there has been a leak detected. The solid faucet indicates a continuous leak occurrence over the last 24 hrs. Check the last digit on your screen to see if it is incrementing. If so, check your interior and exterior faucets, the valves in your toilets, and look around the exterior of your home for signs of surface water. The flashing faucet indicates an intermittent leak occurrence over the past 24 hrs. Check your interior and exterior faucets and the valves in your toilets to see if leakage is occurring.
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