Conservation

April 5, 2022, Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 118 accepted the Water Conservation and Reuse Award for Small Utility Direct Municipalities at the Texas Water Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The award was presented by the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). AWWA is a professional organization comprised of water professionals which is committed to advancing the technology, science, and governmental polices as stewards in water resources for public water systems. Pictured below is Board of Director, Reid Garrett, and District Engineer, Michael Gurka, PE. It’s an honor to receive this award for the District’s valuable efforts and progress towards water conservation.

Decription of the Project

Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 118 (the District) provides water, sewer, drainage, and park facilities to the Waterside Estates Subdivision in Richmond, Texas. The District recently completed new facility improvements at their wastewater treatment plant to accommodate a reclaimed water system. The project reduces the dependency of purchased surface water from North Fort Bend Water Authority (NFBWA) while minimizing groundwater withdrawals from irrigation demands. By utilizing Type 1 reclaimed water, the District was able to irrigate a portion of the community while promoting water conservation.

The total construction cost of the project was $2,356,374 and was completed in late Summer 2019. The system has been operational since 2019 and supplied a total of 11,150,000 gallons of reclaimed water for irrigation purposes resulting in $13,000+ dollars in direct savings based on water rates for the District as of March 2022.

As stormwater flows over driveways, lawns, and sidewalks, it picks up debris, chemicals, dirt and anything else along its path. Stormwater eventually flows directly into the storm sewer systems and water bodies such as lakes, creeks, rivers, or coastal waters. Stormwater runoff is NOT treated – whatever the runoff collects as it flows is directly discharged into nearby water bodies. Illicit items can also cause drainage to be delayed or blocked. Anything other than storm water runoff is considered illegal dumping/illicit discharges and the perpetrator doing this may be subject to penalties or fines if legal action is taken.

Do Your Part to Help Your Community

By practicing healthy household habits, homeowners can keep pollutants off the ground and out of the storm sewer system. Clean up spilled fluids with absorbent materials and don’t rinse into a nearby storm drain. Recycle used oil and other automotive fluids at service stations. Sweep up grass clippings from paved surfaces. When walking your pet, pick up pet waste and dispose of it properly. Whenever possible, drain your pool or spa (chlorine or salt) into the sanitary sewer system.

All public storm sewer inlets in Fort Bend County MUD No. 118 (the District) have been marked with “No Dumping, Drains to Lake” markers like the one shown below. These markers remind folks to NOT put any illicit discharges into the storm sewer system.

PLEASE REPORT ALL ILLEGAL DUMPING OR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE DISTRICT TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS (832) 467-1599