As published in Lakeway Voice, April 2017.

News and Updates from Lakeway MUD

Water Conservation

There is a very good chance we are going to have a very hot and dry summer, so conservation becomes even more critical as we face the expected heat. As of May 1, we again enter into the period of time where irrigation is limited to twice per week. As in the past, no irrigation is allowed between 10AM and 7PM. Some will ask why we are limiting irrigation when our lakes are full, but those of us that have been here for awhile understand that the next drought is just around the corner and we all need to conserve at all times. The twice per week watering schedule remains the same as in the past, with residential addresses ending in odd numbers irrigating on Wednesday and Saturday, even residential numbers on Thursday and Sunday, and commercial businesses on Tuesday and Friday. If you come by the office we will give you a refrigerator magnet with the irrigation schedule on it. This schedule has proven even in the worst drought years to be effective in keeping our lawns and vegetation healthy and appealing.

We have had a very warm winter, in fact one of the warmest winters on record. Because of this we have had above normal usage with customers using their outdoor irrigation systems. Our winter averaging was December -January and February-March. With summer right around the corner everyone needs to check their irrigation system to make sure it is operating efficiently. What I have found over the years is that since we bill bi-monthly or every two months, customers do not realize how much they are using outside on their landscape until they get their bi-monthly bill. By then they are on another bi-monthly billing cycle, which is 3 months of usage. We can profile your meter to help you understand your outdoor usage; just give us a call.

We wish to thank the citizens of Lakeway for their dedicated cooperation in the past around our irrigation restrictions. We have had to issue very few warnings for violations, and the vest majority of those were corrected immediately. Sometimes thunderstorms and lightening can cause automatic sprinkler systems to malfunction causing them to activate at the wrong times. Those are easily corrected when the malfunction becomes apparent, and our customers have been very good about fixing those issues. Thank you for your cooperation and support. We will keep you informed on our website and by our banners on Lohmans Crossing and Lakeway Boulevard.

Billing Software Update

You may remember from previous articles that LMUD launched a totally new online utility billing effective February 27, 2017, after months of conversation and implementation efforts by the LMUD Staff as well as the staff of Continental Utility Services Inc. (CUSI), the provider of the software. This new system features enhanced services and options including automatic payments charged to a credit card or bank account, complete usage history and billing history.

The new system allows customers to view and pay their utility bill online conveniently and securely, as well as view their account in detail. LMUD customers will be able to change their billing address and contact information, their credit card and/or bank information, and sign up for paperless delivery of billing notices and statement delivery.

Our billing that was mailed or electronically delivered on April 1st was the first to be delivered using the new system. The format is much simpler and easier to read than our old statements, and contain much more information about each customer’s account. The feedback we have received from our customers has been extremely positive regarding the billing statements as well as the ease of use of the new portal.

I want to encourage our customers to register as a user on our new portal and enjoy the features of the new system; please go to our website www.LakewayMUD.org and click on “my account” in the upper right hand corner of the page to get started. We hope that many will opt in to sign up for automatic payment of their bill using a credit card or bank account. Our hope is that many will also sign up for paperless delivery of their billing statements. When this feature is enabled, the customer gets an email over two weeks before payment is due with a link to the actual billing statement and then another email a few days before payment is charged tot he card or bank account. This feature saves trees, postage, and avoids lost or late mail.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the LMUD staff for their many long hours and hard work over the past few months to make this transition possible. I want to also thank the staff of CUSI for their support and dedication. Most importantly, I want to thank all of our customers who have cooperated and worked with us in making this all happen. A great job by all! We ask everyone to continue to do their part and conserve whenever possible. We need to work together to protect our valuable water resources.