Author: FBCWCID 3

Groundwater Reduction Program (GRP) Fees Explained

We have had several residents inquire about the City of Richmond’s GRP line item on their water bill. Since it has been several years since the information notice was sent to everyone in the district, we would like to remind everyone of Groundwater Reduction Program (GRP) and why it’s a line item on your water bill.

The Fort Bend Subsidence District was created by the Texas Legislature in 1989 as a conservation and reclamation district (Act of May 26, 1989, 71st Leg., R.S., ch. 1045, 1989 Tex. Gen. Laws 4251). The District’s purpose is to provide for the regulation of the withdrawal of groundwater within the District to prevent subsidence that contributes to flooding, inundation or overflow of areas within the District, including rising waters resulting from storms or hurricanes, The District’s boundaries are defined as all the territory within Fort Bend County. Requirements of the Fort Bend County Subsidence District to convert thirty-percent (30%) of groundwater usage to an alternate source by 2016, and sixty-percent (60%) to an alternate source by 2025. Because Texana Plantation does not have the ability to build a Surface Water Conversion plant, (the community relies totally on groundwater pumped from two wells) the WCID #3 had to join a Ground Water Reduction Plan (GRP) to adhere to the mandates put forth by The Fort Bend Subsidence District. After much research and price comparisons, WCID #3 voted to join the City of Richmond’s Ground Water Reduction Plan. By joining this group, it allows Texana Plantation to be part of a group that is following the guidelines of reducing groundwater pumpage, while still utilizing our wells for our water supply, to not comply with the Subsidence District, WCID #3 would have incurred steep disincentive fees. Under the terms of the Agreement, the City will instead assess the annual pro-rata share of costs to the participants in the form of a per gallon pumpage fee. The fee is currently $ 2.69 per each 1,000 gallons pumped by the District. The District strives to keep its water rates as low as possible. You will now see a separate line item on your monthly water bill for the “City of Richmond GRP Fee,” and will be assessed the $2.69 per 1,000 gallons pumpage fee. This includes a ten percent increase in the fee to account for lost water and other related expenses. If the District’s annual cost increases or decreases for 2022-2023, such increase or decrease will be reflected in the monthly fee. If you have any questions regarding the information in this Notice, please feel free to contact the District’s Operator, Municipal Operations & Consulting, Inc., at 281-367-5511. You are also always welcome to attend any meeting of the Board of Directors of the District, normally held on the third Friday of each month at Ramble Creek – 7930 W. Grand Parkway, Suite 100, Richmond, Texas, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Consult the district’s website Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 (fbcwcid3.com) to see if the meeting dates, times or locations have changed. Also, please feel free to contact any of the board members – Ann Heil, Craig Johnson, Kreig Smith, Gloria Couch and Andrew Wilde.

Fort Bend County WCID #3 Projects

Recent Projects

The District recently completed two projects in the district.

Lake 6 Spillway

During the heavy rainfall during Hurricane Harvey the water level in Lake 6 increased to a level where the water began spilling over the top of the dam located next to Jones Creek. After applying to FEMA the district was awarded funds to make the repairs. Plans were prepared by the district’s engineering firm and submitted to FEMA for approval. Once the plans were approved the district requested bids from contractors. The work was completed in 2022.

Drainage Ditch – Texana Way

The ditch on the west side of Texana Way from Sandy Point to Lavaca Lane had been identified during intervals of high rainfall as a deterrent to efficient removal of the rainwater to the main drainage ditch in the district. The problem was confirmed when the ditches along Texana Way and Sandy Point were surveyed. Both ditches were recognized as having issues with efficiently removing rainwater. Bids were submitted for both ditches but the district did not have sufficient funds to perform both streets without jeopardizing the reserve funds for the district. Texana Way was identified as the ditch in the most need so the work was put out for bid. The work on the ditch was completed during 2022.

Planned Projects

Chloramine Conversion

The district is converting its disinfection process from Chlorine to Chloramine. This project was started in 2022 and is nearing completion in late 2022. The change to Chloramine provides several advantages for the district. The first advantage is to allow the district to get access to the City of Richmond’s water supply in the event the district has a catastrophic failure at the water plants. The district’s water system has a connection to the City of Richmond’s water main and can be accessed easily if the need arises. The City of Richmond uses Chloramine for its disinfection process so accessing their water supply would not cause any issues should the need arises.

There are advantages for using Chloramine as a disinfectant over Chlorine.

  1. Chlorine gets used up during the disinfection process and may be used up before it reaches the end of the water system. Chloramine will last longer and provides a more complete disinfection of the water.
  2. Treatment with Chloramine will result in fewer Disinfectant byproducts as compared to Chlorine or other disinfectant chemicals.

Issues to consider after Conversion to Chloramine

  1. During the conversion to Chloramine the residents my notice a change in the taste of the water. The “chlorine taste” will be removed resulting in this change.
  2. Chloramine has an effect on fish, other aquatic animals, reptiles and amphibious animals since they absorb water directly into their bodies. Pet stores do have chemicals that can treat the water to remove the chloramine and make the water safe for these pets. The small amount of Chloramine in the water does not affect mammals and birds and this water can be safely used to water these pets.
  3. For anyone using dialysis at home they should consult the instructions with the unit and technicians to best treat the water used to flush the units. Dialysis units require a lot of water to flush the system and could have some affect.

Once the conversion at the plant is completed a notice will be provided on the door of each residence informing them of the conversion. Information will also be posted on the district’s website informing the residents of the conversion.

Sandy Point Ditch Work

As mentioned earlier a survey conducted on the ditches along Texana Way and Sandy Point were identified as in need of work to improve drainage of water during heavy rainfalls. Work will now be performed to improve the drainage of the ditches on Sandy Point.

Backup Generator at Plant 2

A backup Generator was installed at Plant 1 and performs well when the electrical power is interrupted to the district. A backup generator is being planned at Plant 2 to have complete backup for the district in the event there is a mechanical issue at Plant 1 during a loss of power. This will keep the water system working uninterrupted.

New storage tanks

The current storage tanks are the original tanks in the district and have experienced some corrosion and wear over the years. Repairs have been done over the years but eventually the repairs to the tanks will be cost prohibitive. Replacing the tanks will reduce the maintenance requirements for the district’s water plants.

New Water Well

The Water Well at Plant 1 has experienced some failures over the years and the repairs to the well have required reducing the size of the piping in the well. This has reduced the well output to only 50-60% of the well at Plant 2. Should Plant 2 go down during months of high water usage the well at Plant is insufficient to provide the needs of the district. Drilling a new well will bring both wells to similar outputs and each well could individually provide the districts needs should one plant be down.

Lakes

Lakes 1, 4 and 5 will be drained, sediment and sufficient lake bottom removed and then have clay hauled that have properties that are selected to prevent the loss of water through the lake bottoms. (Issues regarding this can be found in other documents already provided). Work will be put out for bid and work will be done based on the most economical method for selected contractor. The work should be similar to the recent work performed on Lake 2 done by the Texana Plantation HOA. The water requirements to maintain the water level in this lake has reduced since the work was done.

Chloramine Conversion – January 23, 2023

Due to a clerical error, a previous letter sent to your residence of Fort Bend County WCID 3 stated the conversion would begin earlier. Please disregard that letter.

On January 23, 2023, the Fort Bend County WCID 3 (TX0790368) will be changing the disinfectant that we use from chlorine to chloramines. This change is intended to benefit our customers by reducing the levels of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in the system, while still providing protection from waterborne disease.

However, the change to chloramines can cause problems to persons dependent on dialysis machines. A condition known as hemolytic anemia can occur if the disinfectant is not completely removed from the water that is used for the dialysate. Consequently, the pretreatment scheme used for the dialysis units must include some means, such as a charcoal filter, for removing the chloramine prior to this date. Medical facilities should also determine if additional precautions are required for other medical equipment.

In addition, chloraminated water may be toxic to fish. If you have a fish tank, please make sure that the chemicals or filters that you are using are designed for use in water that has been treated with chloramines. You may also need to change the type of filter that you use for the fish tank.

If you have any questions reach out the compliance department at 281-367-5511 or compliance@municipalops.com.

Sincerely,
Koby K. Boman, P.E.
Supervising Engineer
Compliance Team
Municipal Operations and Consulting