Fort Bend County M.U.D. No. 23 is located within Fort Bend County, Fort Bend I.S.D., and the City of Houston extra-territorial jurisdiction. It was created February 15, 1978, and currently encompasses 1301 acres containing approximately 3,500 single family homes, three elementary schools, and multiple retail establishments.

M.U.D. 23 has five board members whom are all property owners and live in the district. One Director lives in Teal Run, two live in the Estates of Teal Run and two live in Teal Run North. The board meets twice a month, usually the second Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at the M. R. Massey Administration Building and the fourth Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the offices of our attorney. Our fiscal year runs January 1-December 31. The property tax rate for 2007 is $0.95 per $100 valuation. This rate is four (4) cents lower than last year and down from a high of $1.80 in 1992. Based on the 2007 tax rate, annual M.U.D. taxes for a home valued by the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District at $100,000 would be $950. For most of us with mortgages, these taxes are paid by the mortgage company from our escrow account.

The total amount of bonds AUTHORIZED by voters since creation of the district is $90 million. The amount of bonds ISSUED to date is approximately $55 million. When bonds are issued, that means the district actually SELLS that amount in bonds, receives the proceeds to pay for infrastructure construction, and then begins making debt service payments to repay the amount sold. We have the authority to issue up to $90 million, but at this time we have only issued and incurred debt on $55 million.

SURFACE WATER CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS

EXPLANATION OF NEW FEE ON MUD 23 WATER BILL

Under a 1989 mandate by the Texas Legislature, the entire Houston/Galveston area is required to develop a plan for reducing our dependence on groundwater. Here in Fort Bend MUD 23 (MUD 23) groundwater is pumped to your homes from the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers which are located hundreds of feet below our neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods in the Houston area already receive surface water, for example pumped out of Lake Houston, treated and piped to their homes, but residents of MUD 23 have always received groundwater. The overuse of groundwater in the Houston area has resulted in negative impacts including land subsidence and declining water levels in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifiers. This link in Wikipedia does a good job of explaining Groundwater related Subsidence: Wikipedia Subsidence.

The Legislature created the Fort Bend Subsidence District (FBSD), whose purpose is to provide for the regulation of the withdrawal of groundwater within Fort Bend County to alleviate these negative impacts. Here is a link to both the Harris County and Fort Bend County Subsidence Districts:  Subsidence.

A year or so ago MUD 23 elected to join the Missouri City Groundwater Reduction Plan (MCGRP). Other participating communities include Sienna Plantation, Riverstone, Quail Valley, Lake Shore Harbour, Vicksburg and Lake Olympia. All MUDs in the Houston area are joining with another entity as most, like us, are too small to "go it alone". Again, everyone is under the same mandate so MUDs and Cities are joining forces to make it more economical for everyone. Additionally, significant penalties could be assessed for failure to comply with the legislative mandate to reduce groundwater usage and convert some consumers to surface water and thus halt the effects the subsidence.

A MCGRP meeting was recently held where the initial fee for implementing the GRP was announced. That fee is 70 cents per 1,000 gallons of water pumped. The first bill to Missouri City from MUD 23 will be due August 15, 2008 and will be for all the water pumped out of the ground during July. That number times 70 cents will be what we owe Missouri City. These calculations and bills will continue from now on. It will always exist and will actually increase over the next few years. Residents will see this fee as a line item on their monthly water bills. It will begin with the water bill received in August that will be due September 5th. As mentioned before, all neighboring communities and MUDs are going through the same process and some communities in Houston have been paying this fee to their GRP for several years.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

The money collected and remitted monthly to the Missouri City GRP will be used to construct a new water treatment plant and all the piping necessary to convert a portion of their GRP to Brazos River water. MUD 23 IS NOT PART OF THE CONVERSION. We are required to participate monetarily to pay for the plan but we will NOT be receiving the Brazos River water into our homes. We will continue to utilize groundwater from our current sources but to reduce the overall subsidence by reducing groundwater pumpage in the area, we are mandated to participate in a plan and pay our fair share.

Subsidence affects many areas, and not just Fort Bend County. Harris and Galveston Counties have similar surface water conversion requirements. MUDs in those counties participate in regional GRPs put in place by entities like the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, West Harris County Regional Water Authority, and Central Harris County Regional Water Authority.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Subsidence Districts:

fbsubsidence.org

hgsubsidence.org

Other Regional GRPs:

nfbwa.com

whcrwa.com

nhcrwa.net

The Water Spout

The Water Spout is Fort Bend County MUD 23's quarterly newsletter that is distributed to all residents of the District via U.S. mail.  It provides information on current events in the District as well as helpful information regarding water service.  Recent issues of The Water Spout can be accessed below.

	April 2008
	January 2008
	October 2007
	July 2007
	May 2007

 

Visitors Since July 2007

For any questions regarding water service:

Formerly Aqua Services, LP

Billing and Service: 713-405-1760

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