DISTRICT SERVICE AREA
NCMUD contains approximately 1,010 acres and serves 2,194 houses located in 27 subdivision sections and 28 commercial and institutional accounts including Pattison Elementary School, two churches, and one apartment complex. See the District Map on this website.
The NCMUD Board of Directors (Board) is committed to maintaining and operating its water and wastewater facilities in compliance with State and Federal law and providing high levels of service to its customers and taxpayers to maintain the values of their homes and communities.
WATER SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION
Water Plants and Wells
NCMUD owns and operates one Water Supply Plant (Plant) located at 2039 Botany Bay that includes an onsite 1,900 gallons per minute (GPM) groundwater well. NCMUD also owns and operates two offsite groundwater wells; a 1,390 GPM Well No. 2 located at 20035 Highland Knolls Drive, along the County Greenbelt, and a 3,000 GPM Well No. 3 located at 19800 1/2 Almond Park Drive. These two wells pump groundwater back to the Plant.
The Plant includes four ground storage tanks totaling 2,720,000 gallons and four booster pumps totaling 6,500 GPM to serve NCMUD’s domestic and firefighting needs.
NCMUD also maintains emergency interconnect agreements with Harris County MUD No. 81 and Memorial MUD which allow either party to provide water to the other party when requested.
Emergency Power During CenterPoint Outages
NCMUD’s Plant has an onsite diesel fueled emergency power generator that will provide electrical power to operate the Plant when CenterPoint power is unavailable. In addition, offsite Well No. 3 has an onsite diesel fueled emergency power generator to allow Well No. 3 to pump water back to the Plant when CenterPoint power is unavailable.
Hurricane Harvey Flooding and Mitigation Projects
The Plant and Well No. 3 were damaged and taken out of service by the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey (Harvey). Flood waters were a maximum of 3 ½ feet deep at the Plant. NCMUD maintained service to its customers using the water supply interconnects noted above for the three months it took to complete repairs to the Plant.
The Board decided to modify the Plant so similar flooding damage would not occur in the future. In 2022 NCMUD completed a major modification of the Plant which raised vulnerable equipment approximately 7½ feet, which is 4 feet above the Harvey flood water level. This project also replaced 30+ year old equipment that was scheduled for replacement.
NCMUD is preparing construction plans for Well No. 3 to raise vulnerable equipment above the Harvey flood level and construction is anticipated to begin in the Summer of 2024.
West Harris County Regional Water Authority Conversion to Surface Water
The Harris Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD) requires that all major water users in Galveston and Harris Counties convert to surface water to reduce land subsidence. The only practical way for MUDs like NCMUD to comply with this requirement is to be included in a regional Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP)
approved by the HGSD. NCMUD is a member of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA). The WHCRWA has a HGSD approved GRP and purchases treated surface water from the City of Houston and distributes it to cities and MUDs.
- For the entire WHCRWA service area, HGSD currently requires that the use of surface water be a minimum of 30% until 2025, when the minimum surface water conversion will increase to 65%. In 2035, the minimum surface water conversion for the entire area will increase to 80%.
- To minimize the cost of surface water conversion for its customers, the WHCRWA has converted the areas geographically closest to the surface water supply lines to almost 100% surface water. Since all customers benefit from this concentrated conversion, the costs are shared by all WHCRWA customers through the use of pumpage fees. The WHCRWA sets the pumpage fee sufficient to cover the purchase of treated surface water, capital costs to construct its facilities, and operation and maintenance costs. NCMUD is currently on 100% groundwater but pays a pumpage fee for every gallon pumped out of its wells, and the pumpage fee is passed on to NCMUD’s customers.
- NCMUD is located at the southeastern edge of the WHCRWA service area. WHCRWA has not yet determined if it is most economical to extend supply lines to and convert NCMUD to surface water in 2025 or 2035 or to convert other portions of their service area and leave NCMUD on groundwater.
Water Distribution System Maintenance
NCMUD owns and maintains a network of approximately 163,990 linear feet (LF) of water lines, ranging in diameter from 4 inches to 12 inches, and 288 fire hydrants. Routine water line maintenance includes monthly testing of disinfection levels in the water lines and the flushing of dead-end water lines as required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Additionally, NCMUD checks the operation of the fire hydrants in NCMUD annually and makes repairs as needed.
Repairs of water main leaks and tap line leaks are made as found or reported. These leaks are often caused by the shrinking or swelling of soil due to significant variations in soil moisture. Residents are requested to report known or suspected water line leaks to Si Environmental, NCMUD’s Operations Company, at (832) 490-1600.
NCMUD will sometimes clean the water distribution lines by pigging, as was done in 2023, or by a system- wide water line flushing.
Unusual High-Water Usage and What Customers Should Check For
When customers receive high water bills due to unusual high-water usage, many customers assume that their water meter is incorrect. While it is possible that there is a mistake in the meter reading, most high- water usage is real because water meters almost never over read, but in fact tend to under read the true water usage as they age. For this reason, NCMUD, like most MUDs, routinely replaces water meters after they reach a certain total flow reading, typically 1,000,000 gallons.
Most people will notice a dripping faucet but may underestimate the amount of water that a constant leak can accumulate. More importantly, many leaks occur that a customer cannot see or hear. For example:
- Slow leaks in toilets often occur due to problems with the flush (flapper) valves. These leaks can be nearly silent but continuous.
- Sometimes leaks occur in a seldom used bathroom and go unnoticed.
- Irrigation systems, which are often set to run before dawn when no one is watching, can have major leaks that go unnoticed due to a broken pipe or damaged spray head.
- Hard freezes can create small cracks in exposed piping that drip in locations that are not noticed.
- Buried water lines that run underground from customers’ meters to homes and irrigation systems could have a leaks that may not be obvious from the surface.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND COLLECTION
Wastewater Treatment Plant
NCMUD owns and operates a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) designed to treat 650,000 GPD of wastewater located at 19800 Almond Park Drive adjacent to Mason Creek. The WWTP consistently achieves better effluent quality than what is required by NCMUD’s State Discharge Permit.
In 2022 NCMUD completed a major renovation and improvement project to replace 30+ year old equipment, add a second clarifier for reliability, and divide a single aeration basin into two basins that can be operated independently to facilitate maintenance.
Emergency Power During CenterPoint Outages
NCMUD’s WWTP has an onsite diesel fueled emergency power generator that will provide electrical power to operate the WWTP when CenterPoint power is unavailable.
Hurricane Harvey Flooding and Mitigation Projects
Since the WWTP is located on higher ground than the Plant, and because some equipment is located at the top of the above ground treatment tanks, the flooding during Harvey did minor damage. The WWTP continued to operate throughout Harvey, but it was close; if the floodwaters had risen a few more inches, the WWTP’s electrical equipment would have been flooded.
The Board decided to modify the WWTP to raise vulnerable equipment to appropriately 3 or more feet above the Harvey flood water level. This project includes replacement of 30+ year old equipment including the existing emergency power generator. This project is currently scheduled to be complete in the Summer of 2024.
Wastewater Collection System
NCMUD owns and operates a network of approximately 153,082 LF of gravity sanitary sewer lines ranging in diameter from 8 inches to 30 inches including approximately 785 manholes. A sanitary lift station located at 2650 South Fry Road serves the southern portion of NCMUD by lifting the wastewater and then pumping it to a downstream gravity sanitary sewer line. This lift station has a permanent onsite emergency power generator to continue operation during a CenterPoint power outage.
All the gravity sanitary sewer lines are collected to a lift station located on the WWTP site which pumps the wastewater into the headworks of the WWTP. The onsite lift station has a permanent onsite emergency power generator which serves the entire WWTP to continue operation during a CenterPoint power outage.
Sanitary Sewer Preventive Maintenance Program
NCMUD initiated a Sanitary Sewer Preventive Maintenance Program in 2009 in which each year approximately 20% of the sanitary sewer system within NCMUD is cleaned and televised. This means that every sanitary sewer line will be cleaned, essentially, power washed, once every 5 years. The cleaning serves multiple purposes: (1) it removes grease and sediment build up that could lead to sewer line blockages; (2) it is necessary to clean the system in order to run the in-pipe video camera to identify and then repair sewer line defects and damage; and (3) preventive maintenance will avoid emergency blockages and sewer collapses that cause inconvenience to customers and increase maintenance costs.
NCMUD is currently in the 15th year of the Sanitary Sewer Preventive Maintenance Program. As would be expected, the number of repairs required has been reduced for each subsequent 5-year cycle.
Reuse of Treated Wastewater Effluent
As the costs of drinking water continue to increase over time, the cost effectiveness of using treated and disinfected wastewater for irrigation and lake makeup water should be considered. Wastewater reuse is common in some other areas of Texas and the United States and is expected to be utilized more in the Houston area in the future.
In 2023 the Board reviewed the costs to implement improvements at the wastewater treatment plant site and to install new non-potable water lines to provide makeup water to existing lakes in NCMUD and irrigation for NCMUD’s park facilities. This analysis showed that based on current construction costs and water rates, proceeding with a water reuse project would result in increased costs to NCMUD customers therefore NCMUD is not proceeding with a water reuse project at this time.
NOTTINGHAM GREENBELT PARK
In 1998, NCMUD purchased approximately 44 acres along the north side of Highland Knolls Boulevard and the west side of Fry Road. At that time, the acreage was an open field that was expected to eventually be developed for multifamily and commercial land uses. NCMUD envisioned a public greenspace to offer the community outdoor areas to gather for recreation, exercise, and social activities.
Since the land acquisition, numerous amenity enhancements have been added including planting over 900 trees, constructing over 2 miles of trails, constructing a reflection garden, and adding site furniture, drinking fountains, trail lighting, and workout stations. NCMUD is continuously striving to improve Greenbelt Park with additional improvements for community enjoyment.
Greenbelt Park Mile Markers
In January of 2012, Benjamin Monk completed his Eagle Scout project with the placement of new quarter- mile markers around the 2 mile outside trail in Greenbelt Park, and the Board awarded Benjamin with a special commendation for his project. The main trail system map shown is located near the northwest Greenbelt Park entrance east of Norwalk Drive.
In 2016, NCMUD obtained the undeveloped Norwalk Drive street right of way on the south side of Highland Knolls Boulevard and created Norwalk Park that includes a trail connection to Greenbelt Park. NCMUD has since enhanced the area by adding trees, trails, drinking fountains, benches, and landscaping.
In 2023, NCMUD applied for and received grant funding from Harris County Precinct 4’s Places 4 People: 2023 Call for Projects. To provide greater mobility throughout the District, NCMUD proposed the addition of approximately 60,000 LF of 5’ wide and 8’ wide trails and 14 mid-block crossings. The total estimated cost of construction for the trails and mid-block crossings is $1,300,000, of which $780,000 will be funded by Precinct 4. NCMUD anticipates that the design of the additional trails and mid-block crossings will commence once grant funds are received from Precinct 4. A copy of the proposed trail improvements and mid-block crossings is posted on this website.
FINANCING OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
The Board prefers to fund major capital improvement projects on a pay-as-you-go basis rather than sell bonds to finance such projects. This results in overall cost-savings to NCMUD’s taxpayers since no debt service/interest is paid by NCMUD for projects paid on a pay-as-you-go basis. The Board is proactive in performing facility condition inspections and preventive maintenance on a regular schedule to reduce the likelihood of sudden emergency repairs, although the possibility of such emergencies cannot be eliminated. NCMUD does have voter authorized bonds that could be sold if the size and urgency of a project to rehabilitate and/or replace a District facility warranted the issuance of bonds.