At the recent 4/3/2013 board meeting, the board again supported remaining at the current stage 1 water restriction level.  Stage 1 restrictions were relaxed at the 7/11/2012 board meeting to provide more flexibility in the use of water.  The changes are again provided below for reference.  The board continues to encourage residents to guard against water waste.

The City of Manor is having a 6 day spring cleanup drive from March 11 thru March 16 but bulk items must be dropped off at the Manor City Yard located at 400 West Parsons Street .  Please see City-Wide Spring CleanUp for details.  Please note that the fall cleanup drive has not yet been scheduled but the curb side pickup will be resumed when this event is scheduled. 

On Sept. 5, 2012, the Travis County MUD #2 board unanimously approved a small tax increase, base utility rate increase, and restructered water rates.  The ad valorem tax was increased by $0.01 to $0.98/$100 evaluation; the base utility rate (excluding electricity/gas) was increased to $45/month; and the water rates were revised into two tiers instead of the current 4 tiers.  The increases were based on several factors described in the document link provided below.  However, the net financial effect to the average residential home owner (using the average consumption of water) represents an increase of $1.30/month when the utilty bill is combined with home taxes.  Please see the TC MUD No. 2 2012 Tax Rate And Utility Rates document for complete details.   

On October 13 (Saturday), 2012,  there will be another bulk waste collection for ShadowGlen residents (TC MUD #2 and WC MUD #1).  If you have bulk waste items that need removal, please place them on the curb for collection before 7:00 A.M. on October 13. 2012.

Acceptable items include:

• APPLIANCES
• BUNDLED BRUSH
• BOXES
• BAGS
• BUNDLES

Notes: 

• Brush and boards must be cut into lengths not longer than 4 feet.  Nails must be removed from boards.     
• Please place items away from mail boxes, cars, and overhead wires.     
• Please do not place for collection more than four (4) cubic yards per residence. (Four cubic yards is a volume equal to four trash carts.)

If you have any questions, please call Allied Waste Services at 512-247-5647.

 THANK YOU,

 ALLIED WASTE SERVICES

In an effort to relax the stage 1 water restrictions for improved flexibility and practical use of water for TC MUD No. 2 (TCMUD2) residents, the following Stage 1 changes were approved at the 7/11/2012 TCMUD2 board meeting.  One other bulleted item below addresses the District’s concern for fixing water leaks in a timely manner.

At the Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 2 board meeting held May 23, 2012, the board voted unaminously to remove Stage 2 water restrictions, reverting back to Stage 1.  At this level, TC MUD No. 2 residents are no longer required to water on two designated days (based on their address) among several differences between stage 1 and stage 2. This two day requirement is now voluntary.  Please refer to III.3.10.A.2-3 in the Order Adopting Revised Conservation And Drought Contingency Plan document for the required and voluntary restrictions associated with Stage 1. Good water conservation practices are still encouraged.    

Residential and HOA Water Rate Schedule Changes – Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 2
Effective June 1, 2012

At the Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 2 (TCMUD2) board meeting held 5/2/2012, the board unanimously voted to slightly increase a selected water rate and basic service for TCMUD2 residents.  The purpose of this increase is to compensate for increased wholesale water costs.

These increases are specified in the following table. Residents should expect to receive billing reflecting these changes starting with the July utility invoice from Crossroads Utility Services.

We are still at the Stage 2 water restriction level which was posted to this website on Sept. 19, 2011.  Please refer to the "Stage 2 Water Restrictions/Rate and Tax Bill Update" article below and the link contained within this article for complete information.

In order to prevent water waste and ensure proper irrigation of your yard and plants, the following is suggested before you activate your irrigation system for this spring.  It is also suggested that you perform these checks at least once a month to ensure efficient watering.

• Make sure the water sprays only on landscaping, not sidewalks, streets, etcetera. 
• Adjust the run time on the automatic controller based on changing rainfall and temperatures.
• Make sure the spray pattern is not blocked by shrubs or grass.
• Check each nozzle head in each zone to make sure they are spraying correctly and that they are not clogged with dirt or debris.
• Check for indication of a leak.  This may be an area that stays wet or is greener than the rest of the lawn.
  
  In addition, the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has issued the following notice regarding landscape irrigation installation, mainenance, alteration. repair, or service of an irrigation system.
  
  "A licensed person must be on site at all times during the installation, maintenance, alteration, repair, or service of an irrigation system.  All forms of advertising -  such as business cards, phone books, vehicles, websites - must include the irrigator's TCEQ license number.  Violations could result in administrative fines or other enforcement actions against the irrigator."

To find out more:

Internet: www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/lawn

Phone:  (512)239-LAWN (5296)

FAX: (512)239-2249

E-mail: install@tceq.texas.gov  

ABOUT LICENSES

In order to find information about getting or verifying a landscape irrigation license please go to www.tceq.texas.gov/licensing/licenses/lilic . You may also call 512-239-6133 and press 1 - for new applications or exams, 2- for renewals, and 3 -  for other information.  E-mail questions to licenses@tceq.texas.gov .

The Travis County MUD No. 2 continues to seek methods for saving District funds and thereby reducing costs to the District residents.  Currently, the District has issued four series of bonds, totaling $8,855,000 of which $8,250,000 is still owed to the investment community.  Each bond series has an established (and advertised) refund or refinance date.  On or after this date, the bonds can be refunded to its investors or refinanced.  In order to save District funds, a bond series can be refinanced if existing interest rates are sufficiently low for such savings. Southwest Securities, Inc. (a supporting organization of our District) performed well in both determining this condition, executing, and completing the refinancing process.

In November, 2011 the District refunded $4,355,000 principal bond funds at an interest rate of 3.72% which represents a total debt service savings of $150,010.

The Board's decision to authorize the refunding of the debt is consistent with its overall policy of reducing District expenses at every opportunity which in turn result in savings passed on to its residents.  Each supporting organization is utilized in this regard.

At the Travis County MUD #2 board meeting held 9/7/2011, the board approved implementation of Stage 2 water restrictions.  These restrictions which take effect 10/1/2011 stipulate that water irrigation/sprinkler systems can only be used 2 days a week based on whether the resident has an even or odd numbered address.  In addition, the District's basic utility rate and waste water rate was increased.  However, taxes for the average home evaluation decreased.  The 'average' resident using the average amount of water and waste water with the average home evaluation assessed by the Travis County Appraisal District will experience an increase of $9.05 combined monthly costs  for water, waste water, and taxes.  The rate changes will take effect Sept. 29,2011 and will be reflected on bills mailed on or after Nov. 1, 2011.  Please refer to (click on) the "Rate and Tax Bill Update & Notice of Stage 2 Water Restrictions" link for complete details. 

At the Sept. 7, 2011 Travis County MUD #2 board meeting, a change was approved to commence meeting every other month rather than every month in order to further reduce District costs.  The next regularly scheduled board meeting is scheduled for November 2, 2011.   The board meeting dates/times are posted within the District Events section of this website (District Events). 

You should be aware (previous news article) that the Manor MUDs are now receiving the anticipated soft water. This water source no longer requires the use of a water softener (for the current water softness). The previous news article suggested bypassing your home's water softener when the new Blue Water source stabilized as soft water.  Therefore, it is now suggested that your softener be completely bypassed.  If you bypass your softener, you should also consider powering it off.  You should consult the literature provided with your softener (if available) and/or contact the manufacturer of your unit to determine if any instructions are provided for preparing your unit for storage.

On October 8 (Saturday), 2011,  there will be another bulk waste collection for ShadowGlen residents (TC MUD #2 and WC MUD #1).  If you have bulk waste items that need removal, please place them on the curb for collection before 7:00 A.M. on October 8. 2011.

Acceptable items include:

• APPLIANCES
• BUNDLED BRUSH
• BOXES
• BAGS
• BUNDLES

Notes: 

• Brush and boards must be cut into lengths not longer than 4 feet.  Nails must be removed from boards.     
• Please place items away from mail boxes, cars, and overhead wires.     
• Please do not place for collection more than four (4) cubic yards per residence. (Four cubic yards is a volume equal to four trash carts.)

If you have any questions, please call Allied Waste Services at 512-247-5647.

 THANK YOU,

 ALLIED WASTE SERVICES

District Residents Receive New Blue Water Source As Of July 5, 2011
By Jimmie Moore, TC MUD #2

On July 5, 2011, the ShadowGlen water tower began receiving the new Blue Water source.  This tower provides water for the Manor MUDs which consist of Travis County MUD #2, Wilbarger Creek MUD #1, Cottonwood Creek MUD #1, and Wilbarger Creek MUD #2.

Cross County Water Corp. (CCWC) provides the new Blue Water source to Metro H2O (a subsidiary of Southwest Water Co.).  The Manor MUDs (Districts) are currently contracted with Metro H2O for our water source.   CCWC has provided a water quality document (Well PW-1 Water Quality Measurements) providing water quality metrics for one of the Blue Water wells (Well PW-1).  This document should not be construed as a guarantee of the reported hardness.  Rather, it is just a ballpark indication of what each resident’s water softness may be after the current old well water is replaced with the new Blue Water source.   In addition, it only reports one component of water hardness, namely CaCO3 (calcium carbonate).  Calcium and magnesium ions that are present as sulfates, chlorides, carbonates and bicarbonates cause water to be hard.  The calcium carbonate test for Well PW-1 produced a result of 38 mg/L (milligrams/L).  In comparison, a 2009 calcium carbonate test result for Metro H2O supplied water was 387 mg/L.  Mg/L is equivalent to ppm (parts per million).

If your water softener is like mine, the water hardness setting is not in mg/L but rather in grains/gallon or gpg.  The conversion division factor for converting mg/L to gpg is 17.1.  Therefore 38 mg/L = 38 ppm = 38 / 17.1 gpg = 2.22 gpg (rounded down). 

The Water Quality Association (WQA) and The US Public Health Service provide the following hard water classification.

By this classification, Blue Water may provide the Manor MUDs with slightly hard water.  What does that mean for most residents receiving the new Blue Water source?  It means that you should consider monitoring your water hardness on a regular basis, say weekly or biweekly until the hardness stabilizes during the transition to Blue Water.  You should also consider bypassing your water softener (physically or otherwise) if your water hardness tests show you to be receiving soft or slightly hard water.  In fact, some authorities recommend you use a water softener only if you are receiving hard or very hard water per the above WQA water hardness classification.  The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation website (http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/wawa/wawa_005.cfm states you should consider purchasing a water softener when your water hardness is over 121 mg/L which falls in the Hard category stated above, 

The following link provides the email sent out to Manor MUD residents on June 24, 2011 regarding the proposed settlement terms between Metro H2O, Ltd. and the Manor MUDs (Cottonwood Creek MUD No. 1, Travis County MUD No. 2, Wilbarger Creek No. 1, and Wilbarger Creek No. 2).  Please visit Proposed Settlement Terms - Water Rate Mediation to view this email. 

Travis County MUD #2 water rates and average water bills as compared with a sample of other central Texas MUDs can be viewed at MUD Water Rates/Average Water Bills.

This is a preliminary notice that the Travis County MUD #2 board's July meeting will be held at ShadowGlen's Amenity Center on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 6 PM.  Another notice will be sent out in July with complete details.  

Implementation of Stage 1 water restrictions commencing May 1, 2011 for Travis County MUD No. 2 (TCMUD2) District residents were approved at the April 6, 2011 TCMUD2 board meeting.  For complete details see the Stage 1 Water Restrictions document .    

On May 14 (Saturday), 2011,  there will be another bulk waste collection for ShadowGlen residents (TC MUD #2 and WC MUD #1).  If you have bulk waste items that need removal, please place them on the curb for collection before 7:00 A.M. on May 14. 2011.

Acceptable items include:

• APPLIANCES
• BUNDLED BRUSH
• BOXES
• BAGS
• BUNDLES

Notes: 

• Brush and boards must be cut into lengths not longer than 4 feet.  Nails must be removed from boards.     
• Please place items away from mail boxes, cars, and overhead wires.     
• Please do not place for collection more than four (4) cubic yards per residence. (Four cubic yards is a volume equal to four trash carts.)

If you have any questions, please call Allied Waste Services at 512-247-5647.

 THANK YOU.

  ALLIED WASTE SERVICES

Payment for utility services with Crossroads Utility Services may now be paid online.  Please visit the Crossroads web site http://www.crossroadsus.com and select "PAY MY BILL", following the provided instructions.

The following paragraph is a TCEQ required notification statement regarding the November of 2010 Public Water System monthly bacteriological sampling. 

Travis County M.U.D. #2, PWS # 2270241, failed to collect the required number of bacteriological samples for coliform monitoring of the water distribution system during November of 2010. This monitoring is required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s “Drinking Water Standards” and the federal “Safe Drinking Water Act,” Public Law 95-523. 

Bacteriological samples are used to monitor water quality and indicate if the water is free of coliform bacteria.  Our water system is required to submit two bacteriological samples each month. Failure to collect all required bacteriological samples is a violation of the monitoring requirements and we are required to notify you of this violation.

If you have any questions regarding this violation, you may contact Crossroads Utility Services at (512) 246-1400.”

Additional information:

Due to the transition of a new operations and management company in mid November, the correct numbers of bacteriological samples were not taken. This constitutes only a monitoring violation and there is no health threat associated with this. The new company did collect one bacteriological sample during the month of November and it was found to be free of coliform organisms. In addition, the system has collected the two required samples for December 2010 and both samples were found to be free of coliform organisms.  The water in ShadowGlen continues to be safe to drink.   

The winter water usage averaging period for the months of December, January, and February is now in effect.  During these months each residential home or non-residential unit's water usage is recorded and averaged at the end of February.  From March through February following this winter averaging season, this average is used in determining the wastewater commodity charge that is added to your water bill.  For residential customers, if you have not had water service for all of these 3 months, you are provided an automatic winter water usage average of 7000 gallons.  (This 7000 gallons does not apply to non-residential customers.)  The charge for wastewater commodity services is $4.50 per 1000 gallons.  The amount of gallons used in computing your wastewater commodity charge is the lesser of your actual gallons used per month or your winter water average.  See section V.6 in the "Amended Order Establishing Rates ..." District document for compete details for both residential and non-residential customers.

For example, let us assume that you as a residential home owner started up your water service with the District in November and your winter season water usage average was 5000 gallons per month.  Also assume that your actual water usage in March, April, and May (following your winter water averaging season) was 6000, 7000, and 4000 gallons respectively.  Your wastewater commodity charge for both March and April would be $4.50 X 5 or $22.50 (using the lower established average).  Your wastewater commodity charge for May would be based on your actual usage which would be $4.50 X 4 or $18.00 .

There are several approaches in reducing water consumption during the winter season.  One such approach is avoiding use of the automatic mode on your water irrigation system.  One can use the manual water cycle method if needed.  Reducing the frequency of watering in conjunction with a possible increase in zone watering times (depending on the zone times previously used) is also recommended.

Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 2 (the “District”) has contracted with a new firm, Crossroads Utility Services, LLC, to provide utility services, such as billing, water, and wastewater system maintenance and repair.  Crossroads Utility Services, LLC is a Round Rock based company comprised of personnel who are veterans of the Central Texas utility industry.  The switch to our new utility service provider occurred during today’s (11/11/2010) business hours.

Please click here for complete details.

The Travis County MUD #2 board passed a new tax rate of $0.97 per $100 of assessed home value at the board meeting held 9/1/2010.  Although the tax per $100 of assessed value increased, the annual taxes paid for the average valued residence will decrease by approximately $69.60 due to the lower average assessed home value.

The Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 2 will hold a public hearing on a proposed tax rate for the tax year 2010.  This hearing will be held 9/1/2010, 12 noon at Armbrust & Brown, PLLC, 100 Congress Avenue, Suite 1300.  Please click here for complete details regarding this hearing.

In May of this year, the provider of our District’s water supply reported a large pool of water near a remote fire hydrant (away from any home).  It is suspected that someone was directly involved in illegally opening up the fire hydrant and draining several thousand gallons of water. This water loss costs the District and therefore you the taxpayer money!

If you observe or someone reports to you anyone misusing any of our resources, please report this to the Sheriff’s department at 512-854-9770 and to Ms. Mary Lou Sheridan/Travis County MUD #2 at 512-435-2390.  If any water loss is observed, please also contact Southwest Water Co.’s emergency number at 713-405-1750, then select option 1.

The Manor MUDs have received notification from their wholesale water provider, Metro H2O, Ltd., of a proposed increase in the wholesale water rate, which will likely increase the cost of water charged to residents.  By contract, the revised rate is required to be calculated in accordance with the rules of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and cannot take effect until 60 days after Metro H2O has provided the Manor MUDs with all financial data necessary to evaluate the change, given the Manor MUDs 30 days to study that data, and met and conferred with the Advisory Committee established under the wholesale water contract, which is comprised of members of each of the Manor MUDs.  The Master District has engaged a rate analyst and special engineering consultant to review the proposed increase; however, at this time, the Manor MUDs and their consultants believe that Metro H2O has not provided all of the supporting financial data required by the rules of the TCEQ.  Therefore, the amount and the effective date of the proposed rate increase cannot be projected at this time.  Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. 

In order to conserve water for the community, on April 21, 2010 the District began Stage 1 voluntary water restrictions which request a 5% water reduction. In addition to the requested reduced water usage, this policy requests that landscape watering occur before 10 am or after 7 pm on designated days. The exception to this is the use of automatic cutoff handheld devices or handheld buckets. Designated days for residential customers are based on the ending number of the resident’s street address, P.O. box number, or rural postal route. Even numbers are Thursday and Sunday; odd numbers are Wednesday and Saturday. Commercial customers have Tuesday and Fridays as their designated watering days. The complete description of the District’s voluntary stage 1 water restrictions is contained in the Travis County MUD No. 2 document "Order Adopting Revised Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan", paragraph III.3.10.A and paragraphs a thru c of III.3.10.A.3. (This document is provided in the "Policies" section of this website.)

An amended Travis County MUD #2 Rate Order ("Amended Order Establishing Rates and Charges, And Adopting Rules With Respect To District Water, Waste Water and Drainage, Including Water Quality, Systems") has been approved as of March 3, 2010 and has been posted to the District's website.

The following new provision is included in this document:

No drainage water, including roof run-off water; drainage from downspouts; water from yard drains; water from fountains and ponds; water from lawn sprays, rainwater leaders, swimming pool water; or swimming pool filter backwash water may be connected or discharged to the District’s wastewater utility system. In order to protect the District’s wastewater system from inflow, all clean-outs on customer service lines must be securely capped at all times. If any clean-out is left uncapped or the cap is loosened or removed so as to potentially allow inflow into the District’s wastewater system, the District will be authorized to enter onto the responsible customer’s property to replace the cap, and the customer at the service address in question will be charged the sum of $100 for the replacement. This charge may be added to the customer’s utility bill, or the District may deduct the amount of the charge from the customer’s security deposit or any other amounts held by the District and may further require that the customer replenish the deposit by an equivalent amount.  Missing and broken clean out cap examples are viewable in the picture gallery.

The Travis County Municipal Utility District # 2 website is now available to the general public.  Features of the website include District news, District events, FAQs, a picture gallery with identifiers of the ShadowGlen subdivision, and a home page with a picture of the ShadowGlen monument sign entrance in the center section.  Items of interest which appear include pictures of the District's wastewater facility and selected landmarks within the ShadowGlen subdivision.

The intention of the website is provide all information needed to fully describe the complete functionality of the district along with its rules and regulations.  The website provides information regarding establishing service, paying bills, details of how the resident is charged for the services provide, et cetera.  If the District resident so chooses, the posting of a news item (if deemed of sufficient importance by the webmaster), will result in an email with a link that the resident may select to view the news article.  The board minutes and agendas are available ordered by date with PDF document links.  You may email the webmaster at jmlaptop@austin.rr.com for comments/suggestions/questions.