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