On April 1, 2021, the North Harris County Regional Water Authority will increase the fee it charges on groundwater pumped within its boundaries from $4.25 per 1,000 gallons to $4.60 per 1,000 gallons.

This increase will affect all water customers in Fairfield. The North Harris County Regional Water Authority fee is a separate line item on customer bills which the Fairfield MUDs collect and pass through to the North Harris County Regional Water Authority. The Fairfield MUDs have no control over this fee and do not charge any sort of mark up on it.

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.

SPECIAL STORM DEBRIS PICKUP ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Waste Management will be running trucks throughout Fairfield on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 for pickup of storm debris starting at 7 a.m. Please bring all storm debris out to the curb without blocking the roadway or storm drains. Do not put the debris by trees, poles, fire hydrants or other structures.

Permitted storm debris includes furniture, flooring, carpet, sheetrock, pipes, logs, branches, leaves (DO NOT BAG), appliances, electronics and household waste. Do not put storm debris with your regular trash or recycling as Waste Management will collect it separately.

This service is being provided by the Fairfield MUDs: Harris County Municipal Utility District Nos. 322, 354, 396 and 397. For updates sign up for email/text blasts.

Fairfield’s water operator, Inframark, has confirmed as of 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2021 that Fairfield is NOT under a boil water notice. Fairfield has its own water wells and is not affected by the City of Houston’s water outages. Check here for further alerts.

Fairfield residents, it is time to prepare for colder temperatures! There is a Freeze Watch in effect for Sunday night through Tuesday morning, February 14th – February 16, 2021. Temperatures are expected to drop to freezing levels overnight.

How can District residents prepare? Practice the “Four P’s” as the cold fronts set in:

People:

• Dress in warm clothing, wear coats and gloves when outdoors.
• Protect children and the elderly. Never leave them in a cold place or vehicle.
• Temperatures are predicted to be in the teens Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Pets:

• Bring your pets indoors.
• Provide a warm, safe place for them to eat and sleep.

Pipes:

• Prevent frozen pipes and damage to your home by opening the cabinets under the kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warm air to circulate and warm the pipes.
• Insulate outdoor faucets and exposed pipes and be sure to disconnect and drain hoses from outdoor spigots.

Plants:

• Protect plants from freezing by covering them with plant-cover fabric, or a light blanket with plastic sheeting on top of it.
• Hydrate plants early so they can absorb and stay healthy through the cold.

Additionally, there are a few vehicle-safety tips to observe during winter weather:

• Keep your gas tank full.
• Have tire pressure checked.
• Have a phone charger, first aid kit, blankets, and jumper cables in your car.
• Check local road conditions at www.houstontranstar.org. State highway information available at www.drivetexas.org.

Lastly, Fire Departments have provided some safety tips surrounding space heaters and other supplemental heating sources during the colder days:

• Never leave a space heater unattended or a child unattended with a space heater.
• Keep all combustible materials (including yourself!) at least three (3) feet away from the heater.
• Never overload outlets or breakers.
• Do not use extension cords for the heater.
• Always turn it off if leaving the room and/or going to sleep.

Trash pickup during the upcoming holidays will be the day prior. See details below.

The Board of Directors of Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 396 (the “District”) has decided to retain the current base customer rate of $43.32 per month for water, sewer, trash, recycling, and supplemental security services, despite an increase in the trash and recycling rate from Waste Management effective September 1, 2020. The District plans to use funds on hand to pay for the increase.

Good Afternoon Harris County MUDs 354, 396, 397, and 322

During this challenging time, our top priority remains the health and safety of our employees and communities we serve. Given the pace and magnitude of the changes we are experiencing as a business and as a society, we understand it is important for Waste Management (WM) to keep you informed of the status of the essential services we provide.  Included below is our operational update for today, as changes occur WM will keep you informed.

WM’s Operational Update:

Waste Management Encourages Continued Recycling
Recyclable Materials Needed for Manufacturing Supply
Chain to Produce Packaging for Grocery and
Medical Supplies

Facial tissues, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes have been flying off store shelves, while families are spending more hours at home to stay healthy and safe during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Waste Management (WM) is calling on everyone to Recycle Right during this time when recyclables are needed more than ever. Recycling is vitally important to our environment, and it has come to play a critical role in certain manufacturing supply chains. Without recyclable materials collected from homes and businesses, our customers, who produce products such as tissue, toweling and packaging boxes for grocery and medical supplies, would not have the raw materials that they need to manufacture these important items.Recycling is an essential service for manufacturing companies delivering these key products.

Most recyclers don’t think about the importance of placing their clean recyclable materials in their bins, but now it is more important than ever, as recyclable products are playing a critical role for manufacturing businesses.   Across Texas, people are generating more household garbage and recyclable materials than usual, and manufacturers are in need of more clean recyclable materials to meet their demands for making basic goods and emergency supplies. We can all do our part by recycling right during these challenging times.

To learn more information about Waste Management Recycle Right tips, please visit https://wm.com/us/en/inside-wm/recycle-right

RECYCLE ONLY CLEAN, DRY AND LOOSE:

• Cardboard (without inside packing materials)
• Paper products including newspapers, junk mail, office/school paper
• Paperboard, such as cereal and cracker boxes
• Plastic bottles and jugs
• Steel, tin and aluminum cans

THROW AWAY:

• Plastic, latex and cloth disposable gloves, disposable masks
• Liquid soap and hand sanitizer bottles that contain residue
• Disinfectant wipes
• Facial tissues, napkins and paper towels
• Disposable plates, cups and cutlery
• Takeout containers
• Leftover food and liquids
• Plastic bags and plastic film wrap
• Hoses, cords, polystyrene foam and other packaging

In addition, several leading industry organizations have weighed in calling for increased recycling to meet the needed demand during this time, including:

• The American Forest and Paper Association
• The Association of Plastic Recyclers
• The Institute of Scrap Metal Recyclables
• The Recycling Partnership