Stage 1 Voluntary Demand Reduction Measures (No Penalties)

Effective Monday, August 14th, 2023 – Mild Water Shortage

LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION USE
Customers with Odd Street numbers Customers with Even Street Numbers
Tuesdays and Saturdays Wednesdays and Sundays
Before 10:00AM OR after 8:00PM Before 10:00AM OR after 8:00PM

For more information, view the District’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP); or The City of Missouri City’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) at https://www.missouricitytx.gov/980/Drought-Contingency-Plan.

For questions, call (281) 290-6500.

WHAT ARE THESE DESIGNATIONS ON OUR WEBSITE?

Article by Lauren Svatek

Currently, MUDs are not required to own and operate their own websites. According to Monica Garza, FBMUD47’s legal counsel, “MUDs are required to post certain information about the District on an available website. As these requirements have gone into effect, many MUDs have opted to create a district website. However, other districts choose to post required information on their tax assessor/collector’s website, operator’s website, or other similar MUD information website databases.”

Since 2018, FBMUD47 has chosen to have a dedicated website to provide a broad spectrum of information to residents in the District.

FBMUD47 voluntarily participates in two programs: AWBD’s Water Smart and the Texas Comptroller’s Transparency Stars, which each go above and beyond standard website requirements. Participation in these programs allow the District to be transparent about the financial status of the District as well as work toward the Board’s objective to conserve water both inside and outside our homes.

WATER SMART

The Association of Water Board Directors (AWBD) of Texas “created the WaterSmart Partners Program to acknowledge members that have instituted water smart practices in their Districts.”

The Water Smart Mission Statement states that it is a “public awareness campaign for water conservation sponsored by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Water Development Board. Its primary message is to promote the idea that wise water use applies to all citizens, no matter what age or where they live.”

The Water Smart Program has the following campaign objectives:

  • Increase awareness during a drought and year-round to conserve water
  • Avoid or defer mandatory water rationing in dry areas when possible
  • Enable the public to participate in water conservation inside and outside
    the home
  • Influence current local water conservation efforts
  • Connect local water utilities to coordinate public information on water conservation and water supply issues

Participation in the Water Smart Program requires an annual application. Each district must meet several prerequisites in order to be recognized, such as having a drought contingency plan, community involvement by directors, communications with consumers, and communication using the Water Smart Logo. Municipal District Services, the District’s Operator, oversees application and implementation of Water Smart programs. More information is available at https://awbd.org/get-involved/water-smart/.

TRANSPARENCY STARS PROGRAM

The Transparency Stars Program is a recognition program by The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for local governments who exceed basic standards of transparency. Applicants can earn recognition, or “stars”, in five different areas: Traditional Finances, Contracts and Procurement, Economic Development, Public Pensions and Debt Obligations. The District has earned the Traditional Finances star which must be continuously maintained by providing certain financial information on a dedicated webpage of its website.

MUDs are not required to participate in the Transparency Stars Program. Several years ago, the FBMUD47 Board desired to be as transparent as possible to the public and decided to apply to the Transparency Stars Program. The District was awarded the Traditional Finances star in early 2020 and has maintained this distinction since then.

Some of the requirements to achieve this recognition include:

  • Dedicated webpage or section of website regarding the District’s finances
  • Traditional finance summary
  • Visualizations of revenues and expenditures per capita and property tax for 5 years
  • Budgets for last five years
  • Downloadable data of budget for current fiscal year and check register for the last 3 fiscal years
  • General contact information for the District’s Board and open records request instructions and contact information

For additional information:  https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/local/stars/.

FBCMUD47 strives to offer the public all pertinent information and be informative in regards to water, conservation, wildlife, weather, and emergency alerts. Participation in these programs are ways that the Board strives to serve our community to the best of our ability.

Is Your Water Safe To Drink?

Article by Lauren Svatek – Cartoon by Jerry Cogan

Almost two-thirds of the surface of our planet is covered in water, but the majority of that water is salty and undrinkable. Less than 3% of that water is fresh water, but only about 1% is readily available to resource from groundwater, rivers and lakes. Inaccessible freshwater sources include deep aquifers and glaciers.

In our previous article, “Where Does Our Water Come From?” it was cited that FBCMUD47 receives groundwater from the City. So, how does our district ensure that the water you receive from your taps is clean and safe?

On a national level, Congress passed The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 to regulate the United States’ public drinking water supply. In 1986 and 1996, the SDWA was amended and requires numerous actions to protect water and its sources. The US EPA has set standards to protect drinking water from contaminants (both man-made and naturally occurring).The US EPA, states, and local water systems are responsible for overseeing that these standards are met.

Under the SDWA, the state of Texas enforces the regulations set forth by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). There are many regulations that the TCEQ requires districts to follow. The mission statement of TCEQ is “The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality strives to protect our state's public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development. Our goal is clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste.” TCEQ’s role also includes enforcing all regulations and implementing timely attention and resolution of environmental violations. Public water systems in Texas are also required to regularly test their water for 102 different contaminants to ensure it meets all federal and state drinking water standards. See https://www.tceq.texas.gov for comprehensive information.

At our community level, the FBCMUD47 has contracted with Municipal District Services (MDS) to ensure that our community has safe water and effective and efficient wastewater disposal. MDS is bound by state and federal regulations to achieve the goal of safe drinking water. MDS provides an extensive list of services, including:

  • Ground and surface water plant operations, repairs, and maintenance
  • Wastewater treatment plant operations and maintenance
  • Water distribution, wastewater collection, and storm sewer collection systems
    operations, repairs, and maintenance
  • Lift station and storm water pumping station operations, repairs, and
    maintenance
  • Meter reading, utility billing and collections, and customer care support
  • Multiple utility bill payment options for District customers, including an online
    payment portal
  • Comprehensive management services including regulatory compliance, long-
    range planning, and management of capital improvement programs
  • Operations and maintenance of detention/retention ponds, amenity lakes, parks,
    jogging trails, and streets
  • Builder services including, water taps, residential and commercial meter
    installation, inspection services, and service applications
  • Preventative maintenance and inspection services for sanitary and storm sewer
    manholes, fire hydrants, water valves, and commercial meters
  • Complete utility system evaluation and troubleshooting

Their trucks which have the MDS logo (click here to view logo) and personnel are within our District daily. MDS also provides the Consumer Confidence Report required by the TCEQ which is a document that summarizes information collected to comply with Federal and State regulations. It includes information about the source(s) of water used chemical contaminants, bacteriological contaminants, compliance with drinking water rules, educational health information, water system contact information and public participation opportunities. This annual report is provided by mail and on the FBCMUD47 website (under Resources/documents).

Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 47 strives to provide the district with the safest water for drinking, hygiene, cooking, and other vital household uses. Water conservation and environmental conservation are a substantial part of being able to have enough water, clean water sources, and providing all people safe water.