Luce Bayou Public Utility District

The National Weather Service has advised that subfreezing temperatures are likely beginning Thursday night and into Friday morning following the passage of a strong cold front. Freeze Warnings and possible Hard Freeze Warnings can be expected. High temperatures could quite possibly remain below freezing throughout the day on Friday and not warm up above freezing until during the day on Saturday.

Steps for Winterizing your Home

• Insulate pipes with insulation sleeves, wrapping or using slip-on foam pipe insulation. Do not leave any gaps without insulation as cold air can affect the pipe in these spaces.
• Winterize your sprinkler system by turning the water off to your irrigation system and drain your backflow preventer.
• Maintain a heating source inside the building to protect pipes against cold.
• Open cabinets underneath faucets.
• Exterior hose bibs are normally left unattended, disconnect hoses and insulate faucets with covers or blankets.
• House Shut off valve: Know where your shut off valve is located in case of an emergency. Valve is usually on the side of the house near the garage. Some homes the valve is inside the garage wall.
• If you choose to leave a faucet dripping, please only let the faucet drip slowly. NO STEADY STREAMS.
• If traveling for the Holidays, it is recommended that you turn the water off at the street and drain all your plumbing.

• The approaching arctic air outbreak will be the coldest air mass since February 2021.
• It is forecast that temperatures will drop quickly Thursday Night into Friday Morning.
  • Temperatures likely to be in the teens north of Highway 105, near 20 degrees near I-10, and in the mid 20s south of I-10
  • Many areas could be below freezing for 20-36 hours
• Many areas will likely not get above freezing on Friday.
• Though warming into the upper 30s will occur on Saturday, temperatures will drop below freezing on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning

Important to Protect the Four Ps

• People
• Pets
• Plants
• Pipes

National Weather Service Information

• Thursday into the Christmas Holiday
  • The Arctic front is on track to move into the area on Thursday. It will bring periods of freezing temperatures (and likely some <25°) into much of the weekend.
  • Too early to confidently pinpoint exactly just how low readings will fall, or how many consecutive hours below freezing any single location will get.
  • Confidence is high that we will see some bitterly cold air and freezing temperatures, but don’t focus on any individual model, or model run, this far out.
  • The specifics will change as time progresses.
• All businesses and residents should begin preparation for some hard freezes before the coldest weather is set to move in on Thursday.
• For industry that needs an extended amount of lead time, the NWS encourages individuals to review plans/actions that might need to be implemented should conditions warrant (any extended durations of subfreezing temperatures, gale force winds, high seas, low water conditions, etc.)

This communication is to notify you that Luce Bayou Public Utility District, 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 Luce Bayou Public Utility District 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.

In order to conserve water during current drought conditions, the City of Houston has implemented Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan.  During this stage, the Luce Bayou Public Utility District Board of Directors is requesting that all residents of the District take the following voluntary measures:

• Check for and repair all leaks, dripping faucets, and running toilets.
• Check sprinkler heads to make sure that water is not spraying into the street or directly into a storm drain.
• Utilize water conservation measures such as displacement bags, low-flow shower heads, and leak detection tablets.
• Limit irrigation to no more than two (2) days per week, between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Waste Management (WM) has implemented its severe weather response plan on February 2, 2022 as a result of the expected hazardous road conditions resulting from the winter weather.

At this time, WM will be providing residential service in the Conroe area, however routes will begin later than normal in an effort to avoid dangerous road conditions and support safety of our drivers and communities.

In the event we are unable to service you as scheduled, we will plan to return the next day to complete service as road conditions allow. Please keep the area around your collection items clear for access by the collection truck.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this winter weather event.

• Locate and insulate pipes most susceptible to freezing — typically those near outer walls, in crawl spaces, or in the attic.
• Winterize your house lines and irrigation system. Open your cabinet doors under your sinks to provide warm air circulation.
• Disconnect garden hoses and shut off and insulate outside pipes and faucets.
• Make sure you and your family know how to shut off the water in case pipes burst.

The District has implemented an email and text alert system for the residents of Luce Bayou Public Utility District. This system is designed to keep you informed of issues related to the District in a quick and timely manner. You may receive messages in either email or text alert format, or both, related to the water service in the District, drainage and sewer related topics, and other news that is relevant to the District.

The email alerts that you may receive will contain the majority of the relevant information and may occasionally direct you back to the District’s website for more details.

Text message notifications will contain a short amount of information with a link back to the District’s website where the remainder of the information can be viewed.

These notifications are a great way to stay up to date on news and issues within the District and we highly encourage you to sign up and share this information with your neighbors.

To sign up for email and text notifications, please click here to visit the sign-up page.