Notice of Water Rate Increase
As our area grows, we must address the rising costs of providing essential utility services. We will be increasing the Municipal Utility District #4 water and sewer rate to ensure reliability and sustainability.
The costs of labor and materials for daily operations are increasing, alongside stricter government regulations. Being proactive to ensure our reliability, we’ve replaced outdated diesel generators at our pumping and lift stations, as well as the wastewater treatment plant with clean burning natural gas which is readily available during times of blackout. We are also expanding our wastewater treatment facility to meet the demands of our community. We have also established backup wells and transmission lines.
Importantly, our sewer rates, which include trash collection, have not increased since 2008. Even with the proposed adjustments, our rates will remain lower than most of the surrounding Municipal Utility Districts, ensuring affordability for residents.
Additionally, we are committed to preventative maintenance through our ongoing five-year program, which will minimize future repair costs and extend infrastructure life.
By increasing the water and sewer rate, we can secure a reliable utility system for our community’s future. Thank you for your support in this vital initiative!
Montgomery County MUD #4
HISTORY
In 1970, the developer for April Sound started building infrastructure for water and sewer within a core of streets around the lake and nearby streets. The developer turned that infrastructure over to MUD#3 to set rates and start taxation. As the developer started building around the MUD#3 core, their residents didn’t want to cover the infrastructure costs for the new development. MUD#4 was created for that purpose and it surrounds the core.
OPERATIONS
Initially, MUD#4 paid MUD#3 for water and processing sewage. MUD#4 drilled their own wells for supplying water and that ended the fees paid to MUD#3 for water. There was a need to expand the sewer plant to handle the additional development of MUD#4 infrastructure. MUD#4 paid for the expansion and both districts agreed to a 50% ownership for each. MUD#3 is the operator of the sewage plant and MUD#4 pays 50% of the costs of that sewage plant. Regular maintenance of the sewage plant and lift stations includes moving the sewage from homes to the lift stations and then to one large lift station at the sewage plant. After being processed at the sewer plant the end products are water and sludge. The sludge is hauled away periodically by truck. The water is piped back to the lake in a form much cleaner than the lake water itself. Generators are available at the lift stations to keep the sewage moving upon loss of power.
There are three wells drilled to provide water for MUD#4 customers. Two wells are owned by MUD#4 entirely and one well is a jointly owned well with MUD#3. The expenses for the jointly owned well are split 50/50. MUD#3 operates the well and we reimburse them for half the costs. The water infrastructure includes the well, piping, generators, and pumps to maintain water pressure. The system has generators in place that now use natural gas to keep the water flowing in times of storms and electrical outages. This ensures that our customers have a consistent supply of water.
IMPROVEMENTS
In November, 2025 a contract to replace four generators was awarded to McCaffery Electrical for $853,507. Three of these new generators were for sewage lift stations replaced in MUD#4. The fourth generator replaced a diesel generator at our water well that is on Marina Drive. These new generators now utilize natural gas rather than diesel fuel which can be difficult to get during power outages.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have regulations requiring elevated water storage for community systems serving greater than 2500 connections. Since we have a joint system with MUD#3, the TCEQ considers us one system. MUD#3 has 1395 existing connections, and MUD#4 serves 1836 connections, for a total of over 3200 connections. Since elevated storage is very expensive (estimated to be several million dollars), the MUD#4 board requested an Alternative Capacity Requirement (ACR), utilizing hydropneumatics tanks and emergency power rather than elevated storage. The TCEQ has approved our request. The estimated engineering and construction costs for the purchase and installation of the tanks is $450,000.
We maintain our water flow and identify pipe problems through a process of pigging the line to remove any plugging and also to televise the condition of the piping. Once complete the operator and engineers determine the improvements needed to the system. This proactive procedure is estimated to be $100,000 per year. We have examined all the piping in MUD#4 and have resolved any issues.
For the sewage system we have generators at all the lift stations. We are in the process of replacing the main lift station at the sewage plant. That lift station, built in 1970, is very difficult to maintain, and is in danger of breaking down completely. The new lift station should be operational by year end 2026, ensuring consistent processing at the plant. The estimated cost for this replacement is $6,000,000, with MUD#4 responsible for half. That will also ensure that we have additional capacity of the sewage plant to meet our growing needs. We are also renovating the Lakeview lift station which was built in 1973.
Our efforts are all aimed at providing consistent, safe, and efficient processing of water and sewage processing for all MUD#4 customers.
