MUD 18 Newsletter
April – June 2023
Construction on FM 1097
The construction on the South side of FM 1097 for a 12-inch water main from Water Plant 2 to Pine Branch Drive is almost finished. 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’s water supply without any noticeable effect. The final stages of testing and flushing will be completed by the first week of April (weather permitting).
Suggested Watering Guidelines for Your Property
With high heat and drought conditions expected to impact usage, it is important to conserve water. Since each property has different landscaping layouts and sizes, please review the following water guidelines and make adjustments to suit your particular conditions.
Deep and infrequent watering is the best 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 several days. Run times should be adjusted based on how dry your soil 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. – 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 than other grasses to survive our hot weather months.
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% |
Just so you know…
In 2022 the district pumped 497,861,000 gallons of water, and 120,627,000 gallons went through the waste treatment plant. This means on average 75.77% of our water (377,234,000 gallons was used for irrigation, car washing, pressure washing, filling swimming pools, drinking or leaks. During the warmer months the percentage is over 80%, which means irrigation is our largest user of water. Please conserve water whenever possible.
If you have questions about MUD 18 go to our website at https://www.mcmud18.com for answers about water, sewer or trash pickup.
Your MUD Board:
Susan McFarland, President
Lou Tichacek, Vice President
Gary Montgomery, Treasurer
Rex Cambern, Secretary
John Crystal, Assistant Secretary