FAQ's
Additional
information can be found by visiting the
documents section of this site.
FAQ's
-
What should I do if I think there is a leak?
-
What do I do if I have
sinkholes or if the ground is sinking in my
yard?
-
Who maintains the streets, and
who should I call if there is a problem with a
street?
-
Who maintains the storm sewers?
-
Who maintains the street lights?
-
Who owns and maintains the water plants?
-
Where do I find ideas to reduce my water
bill?
-
How does Chimney Hill Municipal Utility
District “treat” the water I drink?
-
Why does Chimney Hill Municipal Utility
District care about water conservation?
-
If the district provides water service to a
new business, who pays for the connection
expense?
-
Where does my sewer go?
-
Why do I pay more for sewer when I use more
water?
-
What do I do if I have a sewer back up?
-
Do you read meters every month?
-
How do I know my water is safe?
-
How much fluoride is in water
-
Are our fire hydrants maintained?
-
How do I read
and understand my bill?
-
How are my
taxes assessed?
-
What are my
taxes paying for?
-
What if I
feel my taxes are too high?
-
Why did my
water and sewer bill increase in mid-2008?
-
What company
collects trash in the District?
-
How much does
trash collection service cost?
-
Why is trash
collection not itemized on my water bill?
-
Can I opt out
of the trash service and have my water and
sewer bill reduced?
-
Am I required
to use the roll-out cart that WCA Waste
provides?
-
What are the
scheduled trash collection days?
-
Why do I have
to send a payment to the District in
December or January each year in addition to
the monthly payments that I make for my
water service?
-
What service fees and rates
does the District charge?
Return to top
1. Question: What should I do if I think there
is a leak?
Answer: Your response should be
based on where the possible leak is located and
your degree of comfort with evaluating a leak.
Always remember, when in doubt, call Water
District Management at 281-376-8802.
The
following are a few scenarios that you may be
exposed to regarding a possible water leak.
-
You may notice a part of
your lawn is remaining wetter than the rest
of your lawn and will not dry out, there
could possibly be a leak.
-
You may notice a stream of
water coming out of the ground. In some
cases, the water will wash the dark color
from the dirt and leave a sandy looking soil
in the area where the water is coming out of
the ground. This is most likely a water
leak.
-
You may notice water gushing
from the ground. This is usually a water leak.
We state usually because in some cases swimming
pool drain lines or backwash lines discharge
water in a way that appears to be a water leak,
but this is rarely the case. In the scenarios 1
& 2 listed above, there could be one of the
following type of leaks:
-
A leak on the
District’s service line If the apparent leak is
within 15 feet of the street, between the street
curb and meter box, or in the street, it could
be a District Service Line. Contact your water
department at 281-376-8802.
-
A leak on the
customer’s service line If there is a leak
between the meter box and your home, it is most
likely to be the Customer’s Service Line. If you
can see your water meter, you will see a
registering pointer (similar to a time clock
minute hand). Make sure all water is off in the
home. If the pointer moves, this means that the
water is discharging the pipe at some point
after the meter. However, in some cases the
water main may be located closer to the home
than the meter box. If in doubt, contact your
water department at 281-376-8802.
-
A broken
water main If at any time you see water gushing
out of the street, or ground and you are not
absolutely sure it is not a water leak, notify
your water department immediately at
281-376-8802.
Return to top
2. Question: What do I do if I have sinkholes or if the
ground is sinking in my yard?
Answer: Numerous things may cause Sinkholes or
ground sinking in your yard. Please call us to
report the sinkhole giving the address and
location of the sinkhole or depression. We will
assess the problem and advise you either in
person, by door tag, or by telephone of what
needs to be done.
Return to top
3. Question: Who maintains the streets, and who
should I call if there is a problem with the
street?
Answer: The paved streets in Chimney Hill
Municipal Utility District are maintained by
Harris County Precinct 4. Therefore, problems or
questions related to the streets should be
directed to HC Precinct 4 at 281-353-8424.
Additional information about Harris County Precent 4 can be found at
http://www.hcp4.net/
Return to top
4. Question: Who maintains the storm sewers?
Answer: Storm water sewers, or street drainage
are maintained by Harris County Precinct 4.
Therefore, problems or questions related to the
storm sewers or street drainage should be
directed to HC Precinct 4 at 281-353-8424. HC
Precinct 4 is currently developing a web page
and it should be fully operational by the end of
March 2001.
Return to top
5. Question: Who maintains the street lights?
Answer: The street lights are maintained by
Reliant Energy/HL&P. Therefore, problems or
questions related to the street lights should be
directed to Reliant Energy/HL&P at 713-207-7777.
Please note that the street light pole number
will be necessary to properly address the
location in need of repair.
Return to top
6. Question: Who owns and maintains the water
plants?
Answer: The water plants are owned and
maintained by Chimney Hill Municipal Utility
District. We retain Water District Management
Company for all operations of the water and
sewer system.
Return to top
7. Question: Where do I find ideas to reduce my
water bill?
Answer: Your water bill may be reduced using
several techniques. Links on this site go to
several water related web sites with multiple
ideas you may use to reduce usage and the
‘bill’.
Return to top
8. Question: How does Chimney Hill Municipal
Utility District “treat” the water I drink?
Answer: Your water is currently provided by
either a District owned well, or purchased from
the City of Houston. The water from the well is
pure and drinkable as it comes from the well
according to our constant testing. The water
provided from the City of Houston is drinking
water quality at the time of purchase. However,
for safety and protection due to the
transportation of the water through water lines
to your house, we add chlorine at a very low
level to disinfect the water as it is
transported and stored.
Return to top
9. Question: Why does Chimney Hill Municipal
Utility District care about water conservation?
Answer: Chimney Hill Municipal Utility District
cares about water conservation for many reasons.
“Water is our most precious resource” is the
motto of one water agency in Texas. The water in
our aquifer is limited. As is noted in numerous
articles in the newspaper, we are being mandated
to conserve water and to convert to surface
water (more renewable) in a very short time.
Conservation results in reduced cost to the
consumer, not using up natural water resources
and looking to the future when water resources
in Texas may be even more limited than today.
Return to top
10. Question: If the district provides water
service to a new business, who pays for the
connection expense?
Answer: Who pays for new or extended services in
the District? The user of that new service. The
Board’s policy for many years is that the
requesting party pays 100% of all costs for
(his/her) service. Requestors are required to
make a deposit, and that deposit is used for all
expenses related to their request. At NO time
does any Chimney Hill customer pay for any costs
related to providing service to new entities. In
fact, fees for new services help to offset
expenses and maintain our low water rates.
Return to top
11. Question: Where does my sewer go?
Answer: The sewer discharges into the collection
system and then to the wastewater treatment
plant for processing. The water and solids are
separated throughout the treatment process, the
solids are disposed of at a Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) registered location
and the treated effluent is returned to the
environment (??? Creek).
Return to top
12. Question: Why do I pay more for sewer when I
use more water?
Answer: To cover the cost of operating the
wastewater facility and the collection system.
The infrastructure is approaching 30 years in
operation. Consequently, failure of this aging
system results in elevating repair & maintenance
cost.
Return to top
13. Question: What do I do if I have a sewer
back up?
Answer: First determine if the sewer backup is
isolated to one location within your home such
as a toilet, sink, tub, or if the backup is
throughout the entire home. If it is determined
that it is throughout the entire home, then you
should call your operating company at
281-376-8802. The operator will investigate the
situation at no cost and advise you of our
findings.
Return to top
14. Question: Do you read meters every month?
Answer: Yes, we read meters every month. The
meters are typically read during the third week
of every month (weather permitting and depending
on how the calendar falls).
Return to top
15. Question: How do I know my water is safe?
Answer: The TCEQ (Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality) has assessed and
determined that our water is safe to drink. Our
water meets all state and federal standards.
Return to top
16. Question: How much fluoride is in water?
Answer: Please see the current
Drinking Water Report
by visiting the
documents page for more
information
Return to top
17. Question: Are our fire hydrants maintained?
Answer: Chimney Hill MUD fire hydrants are
inspected and flushed every six months. This
includes flow testing, replacing missing or
damaged parts, confirming that blue reflectors
are appropriately in place, repairing and
painting as necessary. The next scheduled
inspection will be December 2005.
Return to top
18. Question: How do I read
and understand my bill?"
Visit the
Documents page and click on "Understanding my
bill"
Return to top
19. How are my taxes assessed?
Harris County Appraisal District appraises
property and certifies tax roll to Chimney Hill
MUD. The Board of Directors, with the help of
their financial advisor, sets the
tax rate per
$100 of valuation, within the boundaries of the
law.
Return to top
20. What are my taxes paying for?
Water and sewer
services/lines
Return to top
21. What if I feel my taxes are too high?
Taxpayers should take a proactive stance to
protest their values annually through
Harris
County Appraisal District.
Return to top
22. Why did my water and
sewer bill increase in mid-2008?
Answer: In mid-2008, the District assumed
responsibility for trash collection service from
the various homeowners associations in the
District. The District raised its rates to cover
the costs of trash collection.
Return to top
23.
What company collects trash in the District?
Answer: Waste Corporation of Texas, sometimes
referred to as WCA Waste.
Return to top
24. How much does trash
collection service cost?
Answer: Under its contract with WCA Waste, the
District pays $15.70 per residence per month,
effective April 1, 2008. The rate is adjusted
annually relative to the increase in the portion
of the Consumer Price Index that deals with
garbage collection costs. The District’s
contract with WCA Waste is a three-year
contract.
Return to top
25. Why is trash collection
not itemized on my water bill?
Answer: The District pays for trash collection
service out of general revenues generated from
water and sewer bills and therefore does not
charge its customers separately for trash
collection.
Return to top
26. Can I opt out of the
trash service and have my water and sewer bill
reduced?
Answer: No, trash collection service is one of
several services provided by the District that
are paid for through water and sewer revenues.
In addition to trash collection, the other
services that the District provides include
water supply and treatment, sanitary sewer
collection and treatment, and security patrol
service contracted through the Harris County
Sheriff’s Department.
Return to top
27. Am I required to use
the roll-out cart that WCA Waste provides?
Answer: No, although the District’s contract
with WCA Waste strongly encourages residents to
confine their household waste, grass clippings,
leaves and other yard waste to the cart. Any
residential refuse not contained in the cart
will be collected as long as it is confined to
containers less than 50 gallons in size and
weighing less than 40 pounds. Tree, shrub and
brush trimmings not contained in the cart must
be bundled in lengths no greater than 4 feet and
weighing less than 40 pounds, with branches
having a maximum diameter of 3 inches. Bulky
waste will be picked up on either scheduled
collection day as long as it is located at the
curb.
Return to top
28. What are the scheduled
trash collection days?
Answer: Each Wednesday and Saturday.
Return to top
29. Why do I have to send a
payment to the District in December or January
each year in addition to the monthly payments
that I make for my water service?
Answer: The District is a governmental entity
and a political subdivision of the State of
Texas. The District has the authority to levy
taxes on the property located within its
boundaries. The District uses the tax revenues
that it collects to pay for the capital
improvements that the District has constructed,
including water plants, a wastewater treatment
plant, lift stations, and utility lines, among
others. These facilities are necessary to
provide water supply, sanitary sewer, and storm
drainage services to property within the
District. The annual payment that taxpayers make
to the District in November, December, or
January is the annual property tax that the
District levies against property located in the
District.
The monthly charge covers the water and sanitary
sewer service that a customer’s property
actually receives. The amount of the monthly
charge depends on the amount of service (water
and sewer) that a customer uses. There is a
minimum charge that applies to all customers.
Any charge over the minimum is calculated based
on actual water usage. The monthly charge is a
user fee and is separate from the tax.
Return to top
30. Answer:
Please use the following links to the
District’s Rate Order
to find the indicated fees and rates:
Return to top
Definitions
Chimney Hill Municipal Utility District –
Sometimes herein may be referred to as the
“District”.
District Water Main – The water pipe that
transports water from the water plant throughout
the neighborhood. This network of piping is
referred to as the distribution system.
District Water Service Line – The water pipe
that transports water from the water main to the
meter. In almost all residential connections
this is a 1” line. This line is usually made of
copper tubing or plastic tubing.
Customer Water Service Line – The water pipe
that transports water from the meter to the
house or business. This line is usually made of
PVC or galvanized metal.
District Sewer Main – The sewer line in which
provides for the transport of waste from the
collection system to the wastewater treatment
plant.
Customer Sewer Line – The sewer line which
transports the waste discharged from homes and
businesses to the district sewer main.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
– The state agency which supervises the
operation of utility districts within the state
of Texas. Always remember, if at any time you
feel you need assistance from your water/sewer
department, you may contact Water District
Management at 281-376-8802.
|
