REGIONAL WATER FEE TO INCREASE

The NHCRWA Fee is a pass-through fee imposed by the North Harris County Regional Water Authority on all water pumped from wells within its jurisdiction. The District has no control over the NHCRWA fee, which is set by the North Harris County Regional Water Authority. The fee was first imposed in January 1, 2003 and it has been increased periodically since then. Commencing in April, 2021, your bill will show an increase in the NHCRWA Fee to $4.83 per 1,000 gallons, which includes a 5% mark-up to cover the fee on unbilled water uses in District operations. Information about the North Harris County Regional Water Authority can be found at www.nhcrwa.org.

WHAT IS THE REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY?

The North Harris County Regional Water Authority is a political subdivision of the State covering northwest Harris County outside of the City of Houston. Its purpose is to provide surface water to the area within its boundaries in order to reduce the pumping of groundwater from the local aquifer. Because of the increase in population in northwest Harris County, too much groundwater is being taken from the ground, causing the ground to sink.

The North Harris County Regional Water Authority is under a mandate to reduce the groundwater usage in its boundaries from 70% to 40% by 2025. To comply with this mandate, the North Harris County Regional Water Authority is participating in several very expensive projects to provide surface water to local MUDs, cities, and private utilities. It is paying its share of the Luce Bayou project which transfers water from the Trinity River to Lake Houston, the expansion of the Lake Houston water purification plant, and the transmission lines and pumping stations to bring the water from Lake Houston to the area within its boundaries.

To pay for these costs, the Authority’s fee has increased annually and is expected to continue to do so. If it isn’t already, it will soon be the biggest part of the water bill.

WHAT CAN RESIDENTS DO?

Residents can find out more about North Harris County Regional Water Authority at www.nhcrwa.org. The Board of Directors of the Authority holds monthly meetings, which are open to the public. Members of the Board of Directors are elected by district. Fairfield is in District 1.

Residents can learn more about water conservation. The less water the resident uses, the lower the bill. to learn more about water conservation, visit a website about ways to conserve water usage in your home. There are many on the internet these days, such as www.savewatertexas.com, that contain a lot of educational items for a homeowner.

Cypress Hill MUD urges you to dispose of wipes in the trash and not in the toilet.

Disposable wipes — used for changing diapers, personal hygiene, housecleaning, and more — cause major problems when flushed down toilets. Because they don’t break down the way toilet paper does, these wipes clog homeowner and MUD sewer pipes, put stress on the MUD’s wastewater collection and treatment equipment, and cause the MUD to spend thousands on premature equipment repair and replacement. Wipes snag on any imperfection in sewer pipes, catch passing debris and grease, and create a “ball” that will grow to plug the pipe. They also get drawn into sewer-line and wastewater treatment plant pumps and clog and damage them. The MUD must manually clear out pumps or remove clogs.

Although many brands of disposable wipes are labeled “flushable,” don’t flush them! The clogs and backups they cause may result in expensive plumbing bills for your home, or increased wastewater fees.