People

• To keep you and your family safe, it is imperative your home is warm.  Make sure your heat is set to an appropriate temperature to make your entire home comfortable.
• If you use a space heater, make sure to keep it away from anything that may be flammable including curtains, bedding, etc. Also, do not keep it running overnight and do not keep it running in an unoccupied room.
• If you use a fireplace, make sure you have a screen to catch any embers that might escape or a rolling log.
• Never use your stove or oven to heat your home.

Pets

• While protecting your family, it is imperative to protect your pets as well.
• Pets, like humans, are vulnerable to cold temperatures. If not taken care of properly, they can succumb to frostbite and even hypothermia.
• If you have a dog that typically lives outdoors, consider letting them inside when temperatures drop to freezing. While their fur does help to keep them warm, it provides little help in freezing temperatures.
• If you absolutely cannot bring them inside, make sure they have a warm shelter, plenty of food and fresh water that does not freeze.

Pipes

• Make sure to cover all your exposed external pipes with a cover. You can also cover your pipes with towels, duct tape or another adhesive strip as long as they are wrapped tightly.
• You should also open up the cabinets in your home to let warm air circulate throughout your home. Just make sure any harmful chemicals are out of reach for children and pets.

Sprinkler System Maintenance for Freezing Situations (pictures below)

• Turn off the shut-off valve. Most residential devices have two shut-off valves. These are typically covered in blue on the valve handles and located before and after the back flow device.
• Release the water pressure, with a screw driver release the water from the bleeder valves. The bleeder valves are usually located under the top of the backflow device. If the water does not stop flowing you may have not shut the valves off completely.
• Leave the smaller bleeder valve open, this will let the any remaining water in the line expand without breaking the device.
• Insulate your backflow device. Most hardware  / home services stores carry backflow insulating supplies.

Plants

• When cold weather hits, it’s a good idea to bring in all of your outdoor plants.
• If you can’t bring in the plant, cover it with a blanket to make sure they do not die.

Other Tips in the Event of a Power Outage in addition to Freezing Weather

• If your home is not warm or you suspect the internal pipes could freeze, let water drip from several faucets or shut off water at the main shutoff valve and open all spigots to drain.  As temperatures rise, leave all faucets open and then open the main shutoff valve to restore water to the home.
• Make sure if you use a generator, it is outdoors with good ventilation. Do not use a generator inside, including in your garage.

Construction on a new storm sewer line into Turkey Creek will begin the week of January 24th.  The MUD completed several detailed engineering analyses looking for opportunities to improve local street drainage.  This new line is being installed to remove a choke point in the existing system and will enable water to drain more quickly during heavy rain events.  Additional minor street inlet work will be done on 3 streets as part of this project.  Last year, the MUD completed a camera analysis of 25 percent of the storm sewer lines and removed debris.  In 2022, the MUD will complete the camera analysis of all the remaining storm sewer lines and remove any debris and/or repair any damage found.

As part of the new construction project, portions of the sidewalk near Turkey Creek will have to be closed.  This is for your safety and the MUD appreciates your cooperation during this time.  For those residents who like to walk the Turkey Creek loop, you can still enter the loop on the southwest side and walk over the foot bridge, but you will need to exit either at Indian Shores Lane or Mariner’s Harbor and then turn left on Summer Falls and then left again on Lake Center Run to complete the loop.  We anticipate construction will be approximately 4 weeks and we appreciate your understanding.  As part of the project, one oak tree will be removed.  A new oak tree will be planted during restoration as recommended by the LOE landscape committee.

If you have any questions about the construction, please contact Eric Johnson, P.E., the engineer for MUD 341 at 832.590.7224 or ejohnson@idseg.com.  You may also contact the MUD Board of Directors at https://www.hcmud341.org/contact.

Harris County MUD 341 is a Municipal Utility District (MUD) of the State of Texas authorized and governed by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to provide water, sewage, local street drainage and garbage/recycling services.  For more information about MUD 341 and MUD’s in general, please see https://www.hcmud341.org/about/faq.

Beginning in February, you may see a small increase in your water bills.  Harris County Mud 341 is not raising its rates, but West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA) has raised their rates $0.25 per 1000 gallons.  This is a separate line item on your bill and is a straight pass through cost.   The fee increase is due to the construction of water supply projects as required by the Harris Galveston Subsidence District groundwater reduction regulations.  More information about WHCRWA. their rates and projects is available at https://www.whcrwa.com/.

If you have further questions, please contact the HC MUD 341 Board of Directors at https://www.hcmud341.org/contact/ or our Operator, TNG Utility Corporation at (281) 350-0895.