District Alerts – Harris County Water Control and Improvement District No. 132

Water Rates To Drop 10% Effective October 1st

The Northwest Regional Water Authority has announced a second water rate reduction for 2023 effective October 1.

The new rate of $4.05 per 1000 gallons is a 19.8% reduction since the beginning of the year. The new rates will be reflected on November’s invoices.

Notice of Manadatory Water Use Restrictions

Dear Customer,

Due to the current extreme weather conditions and to ensure that an adequate supply of water is available, you are hereby notified that Stage 2 of the Drought Contingency Plan is now in effect. Stage 2 includes the following MANDATORY water use restrictions.

WATER USE RESTRICTIONS

(a) Irrigation of residential landscaped areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number, and Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number, and irrigation of landscaped areas is further limited to the hours of 12:00 midnight until 10:00 a.m. and between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on designated watering days.

(b) Irrigation of green belts, esplanades and sports field shall be limited to Tuesdays and Fridays between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight.

(c) Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 7:00 p. m. and 5:00 a.m. Such washing, when allowed, shall be done with a hand-held bucket or a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rises. Vehicle washing may be done at any time on the immediate premises of a commercial car wash or commercial service station. Further, such washing may be exempted from these regulations if the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.

(d) Use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, or jacuzzi-type pools is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

(e) Operation of any ornamental fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes is prohibited except where necessary to support aquatic life or where such fountains or ponds are equipped with a recirculation system.

(f) Use of water from hydrants shall be limited to fire fighting, related activities, or other activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare, except that use of water from designated fire hydrants for construction purposes may be allowed under special permit from the District.

(g) Use of water for the irrigation of golf course greens, tees, and fairways is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. However, if the golf course utilizes a water source other than that provided by the District, the facility shall not be subject to these regulations.

(h) All restaurants are prohibited from serving water to patrons except upon request of the patron.

(i) The following uses of water are defined as non-essential and are prohibited:

wash down of any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection;
use of water for dust control;
flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street; and
failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).

PENALTY FOR VIOLATING WATER USE RESTRICTIONS

Any person who violates the water use restrictions set forth above is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500). Each day that one or more of the water use restrictions is violated shall constitute a separate offense. If a person is convicted of three or more distinct violations of the water use restrictions, the Operator shall, upon due notice to the customer, be authorized to discontinue water service to the premises where such violations occur. Services discontinued under such circumstances shall be restored only upon payment of disconnect and re-connection charges, as set forth in the District’s Rate Order, and any other costs incurred by the District in discontinuing and re-connecting service. In addition, suitable assurance must be given to the District that the same action shall not be repeated while water use restrictions are in effect. Compliance with this water use restrictions may also be sought through injunctive relief in the district court.

You are required to repair detectable leaks within 72 hours of discovery.

Your cooperation and perseverance during this Drought Condition is appreciated. Once the Drought Condition ends, you will be notified when you may return to normal usage. If conditions should worsen, you will be notified of more stringent restrictions, to ensure the availability of water in your community.

Thank you for your cooperation – Customers will be notified when these restrictions are no longer required or if conditions warrant additional conservation measures. A full copy of the District’s Drought Contingency Plan can be found at www.wcid132.org.

The City of Houston (COH), the primary source of water for the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (Authority), has entered stage two of their Drought Contingency Plan, effective August 27, 2023. The COH’s drought response calls for mandatory water conservation efforts to reduce water use.

As required by the Authority’s Drought Contingency Plan, the Authority must enter Stage 2 of our Drought Contingency Plan, when the COH enters into Stage 2 water shortage of their Drought Contingency Plan. The Authority’s Drought Contingency Plan requires that Harris County WCID 132 and any customer receiving water from the Authority:

Repair detectible water leaks within 72 hours of discovery;
Utilize water conservation measures such as displacement bags, low-flow shower heads and leak detection tablets;
Limit outdoor irrigation to the hours 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day on no more than two (2) days per week, in conformity with the following schedule (no watering on Mondays):
- Sundays and Thursdays for single-family residential customers with even-numbered street addresses
- Saturdays and Wednesdays for single-family residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses; and
- Tuesdays and Fridays for all other customers

Compliance with the above requirements is mandatory.

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