Water

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

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.

We are aware that letters were distributing advising that the Chloramine conversion occurred on December 18. The Chloramine conversion has NOT yet occurred.

This communication is to notify you that Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3, your retail water and sanitary sewer provider is:

• prohibited from imposing late fees or disconnecting retail water or sewer service for nonpayment of bills that are due during an extreme weather emergency until after the emergency is over;
• required to offer a payment schedule to a customer who requests such a schedule for unpaid bills due during an extreme weather emergency; and
• prohibited from disconnecting retail water or sewer service for nonpayment of bills due during an extreme weather emergency until after a payment schedule has been offered and the customer has either declined to accept the payment schedule in a timely fashion or violated the terms of the payment schedule.

For purposes of this communication, an “extreme weather emergency” is defined as a period beginning when the previous day’s highest temperature in an area did not exceed 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours according to the nearest National Weather Service reports for that area.  An extreme weather emergency is over on the second business day the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

Aviso Sobre Emergencias Climáticas Extremas

Esta comunicación es para notificarle que su proveedor de agua y alcantarillado sanitario Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 es:

• prohibido imponer cargos por demora o desconectar el servicio de agua o alcantarillado por falta de pago de las facturas que vencen durante una emergencia climática extrema hasta después de que termine la emergencia;
• obligado a ofrecer un plan de pago a un cliente que solicite dicho acuerdo para las facturas adeudadas durante una emergencia climática extrema; y
• prohibido desconectar el servicio de agua o alcantarillado por falta de pago de facturas adeudadas durante una emergencia climática extrema hasta que se haya ofrecido un plan de pago y el cliente se haya negado a aceptar el plan de pago de manera oportuna o haya violado los términos del plan de pago.

A los fines de este comunicado, una “emergencia climática extrema” se define como un período que comienza cuando la temperatura más alta del día anterior en un área no superó los 28 grados Fahrenheit y se pronostica que la temperatura permanecerá en ese nivel o por debajo de este durante las próximas 24 horas. de acuerdo con los informes del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional más cercano para esa área. Una emergencia climática extrema termina el segundo día hábil en que la temperatura supera los 28 grados Fahrenheit.