Author: HCWCID 114

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 on August 27, 2023.  The COH’s drought response calls for mandatory water conservations efforts to reduce water use, that will reduce the daily volume of water delivered.  The Houston Public Works Release can be found under https://cityofhouston.news/stagetwodrought/ .

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 any customer receiving water from the Authority or well owner whose well is included under the Authority’s Harris-Galveston Subsidence District aggregate water well permit:

Harris County WCID 114  is required to implement Stage 2 of our Drought Contingency Plan:

All Customers of Harris County WCID 114 are restricted to the following:

• 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. Additional water conservation tips can be found at irrygator.com;
• 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.

HARRIS COUNTY WCID 114
PWS ID NO. TX1010317
August 15, 2023

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has notified the HARRIS COUNTY WCID 114 TX1010317 that the drinking water being supplied to customers had exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has established the MCL for arsenic to be 0.010 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on running annual average (RAA), and has determined that it is a health concern at levels above the MCL.  Analysis of drinking water in your community for arsenic indicates a compliance value in quarter one 2023 of 0.011 mg/L for EP003 (Water Plant No.3).

This is not an emergency.  However, some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

You do not need to use an alternative water supply.  However, if you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor to get more information about how this may affect you.

We are taking the following actions to address this issue:

The District’s water well from which the elevated levels of arsenic has been detected has not been used as part of the District’s water supply prior to or since the exceedance has occurred.

Please share this information with all people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (i.e., people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).  You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

If you have questions regarding this matter, you may contact Eagle Water Management at 281-374-8989.

WCID 114’s current water bill charges for up to 15,000 gallons monthly usage- $80.85, which is comprised of the following:

Water – $16.25

Base rate for up to 10,000 gallons is $10.00
Usage above 10,000 gallons is charged an additional $1.25 per 1000 gallons usage – $6.25

Sewer – $10.00

Flat fee per month

North Harris County Regional Water Authority (NHCRWA) – $54.60

NHCRWA is a governmental entity created by the Texas Legislature and charged with the responsibility to help reduce subsidence. WCID 114 is required to purchase the majority of its water from NHCRWA, which currently comes from Lake Houston. While currently NHCRWA charges WCID 114 $4.55 per 1,000 gallons of usage (the rate may change each year), WCID 114 subsidizes 20% of this cost, charging its customers currently $3.64 per 1,000 gallons used.

For more information about the NHCRWA, please visit their website at www.nhcrwa.com.