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Harris County MUD 501 Garbage and Recycling Collection Service Issues

As you know, Harris County MUD 501 (MUD 501) transitioned to a new garbage and recycling provider, Texas Pride Disposal, on November 1, 2020. The MUD 501 Board is aware of service concerns related to the transition, including with respect to collection timing, missed pickups, and return of garbage and recycling carts to the garage door location. Please be assured that we have addressed these concerns with Texas Pride. Texas Pride has responded and taken measures to correct these issues. We have been and are continuing to work with Texas Pride to address all ongoing issues.

Over the past several weeks, garbage and recycling volume was significantly higher than even a typical holiday season due to increased cardboard and other shipping materials associated with higher-than-usual online shopping activities during the continued COVID-19 pandemic. The high volume of trash and recycling materials required Texas Pride crews to make additional visits to empty the trucks, causing a delay in trash and recycling collection for some areas within MUD 501. Now that we are through the holiday season and into the new year, we expect that garbage and recycling volumes should return to normal levels.

In the event you have a garbage or recycling collection service issue, please contact Texas Pride directly, at (281) 342-8178, or service@texaspridedisposal.com, to report the issue so that the issue can be addressed in a timely manner. The Board has requested that Texas Pride track and report all customer calls to the Board so that the Board can identify and address any continued service issues.

The Board also encourages you to sign up for MUD 501 e-mail alerts, at https://www.hcmud501.org/email.

Meter Replacement Program

The Board of Directors (Board) of Harris County MUD 501 (District) recently made the decision to replace its existing mechanical water meters throughout the District with ultra sonic meters.

These new meters will include a smart feature, available via Internet browser and smart phone app, that provides the customers and the District the ability to monitor water use on a near-real time basis.

The District-wide meter replacement process should take approximately five months to complete, and at the conclusion of this effort the smart feature on the meters will be activated, which we anticipate to be sometime in the spring or early summer.

The Board anticipates sending out additional communications regarding this project in the coming months.

Please Do Not Bag Your Recyclables

As you may have seen in the insert in your last water bill, on November 1st, MUD 501 welcomed a new garbage and recycling provider, Texas Pride Disposal (Texas Pride).  In connection with the service transition, one notable change is that Texas Pride has stated that recyclable materials should be placed loose in your recycling container.  Please do NOT bag your recyclables!  Bagging your recyclables could cause them to be rejected by the recycling facility and instead be handled as household garbage.  We appreciate your cooperation with these new procedures.

For more information, please visit the trash and recycling page on the MUD 501 website, at https://www.hcmud501.org/trash-recycling/.

Tropical Storm Beta

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm warning for Harris County and the surrounding counties in the Houston metropolitan area, as tropical storm Beta continues to approach the Texas coast. Over the next several days, the Houston metropolitan area may receive significant amounts of rainfall which could result in localized flooding. There also is a risk of wind and other damage from the storm.

MUD 501’s (the District) water and sewer system operator, Environmental Development Partners (EDP), is implementing its emergency preparedness procedures, as necessary, and will continue to monitor the progress of the storm and adjust its procedures accordingly. Please contact EDP at (832) 467-1599 at any time to report issues with District facilities.

Additional information and updates about the storm are available through the following:

The District encourages you to review your emergency preparedness plan and to continue to frequently monitor information about the storm as it develops.  The District will also be providing storm related updates as appropriate on its website and through email alerts.

Wildlife Management in Harris County MUD 500 Lakes

On August 30, 2020, MUD 500 received a report of a confirmed sighting of an approximately 3’-4’ alligator in the northern portion of MUD 500’s lakes, north of Cypress North Houston Blvd., near the new marina. MUD 500 has obtained the required nuisance permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and instructed its trapper to locate and remove the alligator. The District respectfully requests that residents of and visitors to Towne Lake refrain from interfering with its wildlife management contractor and/or any of the contractor’s lines, traps, or other equipment left in or near its lakes.

MUD 500 continues to request that residents report any sightings of alligators to its operator, Environmental Development Partners, at (832) 467-1599. MUD 500 encourages your district to share this information with your residents. Please visit MUD 500’s website, at http://www.hcmud500.org, for additional information.

Weather Update

The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane watch for Harris County and the surrounding counties in the Houston metropolitan area, as Hurricane Laura continues to strengthen and approach the Texas coast. Over the next several days, the Houston metropolitan area may receive significant amounts of rainfall which could result in localized flooding. There also is a risk of wind and other damage from the storm.

MUD 501’s (the District) water and sewer system operator, Environmental Development Partners (EDP), is implementing its emergency preparedness procedures, as necessary, and will continue to monitor the progress of the storm and adjust its procedures accordingly. Please contact EDP at (832) 467-1599 at any time to report issues with District facilities.

Additional information and updates about the storm are available through the following:

The District encourages you to review your emergency preparedness plan and to continue to frequently monitor information about the storm as it develops. The District will also be providing storm related updates as appropriate on its website and through email alerts.

Towne Lake Teamwork At Its Best

What do Caldwell Companies, the Heritage Homeowner’s Association and Harris County MUD 501 all have in common?  They are presently working together to bring about one of Towne Lake’s newest residential development projects which will be located along the south shoreline of Towne Lake, adjacent to the Heritage, Towne Lake’s prestigious over 55 active adult community. This development will eventually result in ninety-two new homes being added to the Heritage.  But there’s an interesting back story on how this all came about.

So, what makes this project unique from others within Towne Lake?  First of all this particular tract of land was originally owned by Lone Star College, but after several years of discussion and negotiations Caldwell Companies purchased it in 2019. Acquiring this valuable piece of property on the lake was a win for Caldwell Companies.

But what about the other entities involved in this project?  Under Lone Star’s ownership MUD 501 received no tax revenue for the property. Once Caldwell Companies fully develops the property, MUD 501 (which will build, own and maintain the water, sewer and drainage facilities) will receive a new stream of tax revenue that should help to reduce the tax rate for all MUD 501 tax payers over the long term.  A win for MUD 501 and its taxpayers.

After the property was acquired, Caldwell Companies began a discussion with the Heritage community to annex this property into its boundaries. Caldwell Companies felt residential land use harmonious with the Heritage was the best use of the land. This was not a simple exercise as any type of annexation requires approval from a vote of Heritage residents. There were many questions presented by Heritage residents to both Caldwell Companies representatives and the Heritage HOA board, and after several community wide meetings the residential vote passed decisively and the annexation was approved.  These new homes will be good for the Heritage for several reasons, including the addition of a new set of neighbors and additional HOA fees that can be used by the Heritage for improvements or HOA fee reductions. A win for Heritage residents.

The land plan for the property has been submitted for approval from Harris County and the City of Houston, streets have been named and infrastructure construction activities should begin soon with new home construction following in the first quarter of 2021.  This is a win-win-win for all of the entities involved, and a great example of how focused leadership and teamwork can help continue making Towne Lake the premier residential community in Cypress, Texas.