‹ Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 490 · All districts' issues
concern
Agreement
money moved
Obtain HydroClear's rates and all invoices, and confirm every hauling charge attributable to MUD 418's plant or to a contractor's pipe damage has been recovered.
Gov't Code §791.011(e) (the party served bears the cost; may apply); Good practice
The board action behind it
2026-01-22: Approved the Sludge Management Agreement with HydroClear Services LLC, subject to final SPH review, and a 60-day termination notice to MagnaFlow International
What else happened at that meeting
The Board approved an assignment of its tax assessor-collector agreement from B&A Municipal Tax Services, LLC to Assessments of the Southwest, effective February 1, 2026, and adopted a resolution authorizing an additional penalty on delinquent personal property taxes. It approved a sludge management agreement with HydroClear Services LLC and a 60-day termination notice to MagnaFlow International. The Board called the May 2, 2026 directors election, set election judge and clerk pay at $20.00 per hour, and authorized notice that the District will not provide electronic voting systems. After a closed session, it voted to give Inframark a 30-day termination notice and to enter into an operation services agreement with Si Environmental. The Board also approved participation in the annual Trace Air flyover at an estimated cost of $1,613 and ratified the earlier $35,000 engineering fee payment to BGE.The law and guidance in force on 2026-01-22
| Competitive bidding §49.273: Same text in force then and now§49.278: Same text in force then and now | Question | Sludge hauling is a service; no quotes are recorded. HydroClear had already been 'engaged' (Dec 9, 2025 p.3) before the agreement came to the Board. |
| Form 1295 Gov't Code §2252.908
§2252.908: Same text in force then and now |
Shown | Accepted with the final agreement on February 26, 2026 (p.3-4). |
Who's involved
HydroClear Services LLC (sludge hauler)
MagnaFlow International (prior sludge hauler (terminated))
Inframark, LLC (operator (until April 2026))
Schwartz, Page & Harding, L.L.P. (general counsel (also counsel to MUD 418, MUD 419, MUD 489 and the Bridgeland Water Agency))
Cost to the district
FY2026 sludge removal: $1,722,059 ten-month actual against a $785,000 budget (May 28, 2026 agenda budget pages, hcid14-site/bridgeland-records/hcmud490/website/Agenda_May_28_2026_Agenda_Amended_HC_MUD_490_1.pdf, PDF p.6-7).Money or costs moved
HC MUD 490 → HydroClear, for hauling attributable to MUD 418's unfinished wastewater plant: $189,045 Sludge backed up from MUD 418's plant into District facilities and the District paid the hauling; MUD 418 reimbursed $189,045 (Aug 19, 2026 p.2) and $51,697.43 of SiE charges was held pending a further MUD 418 backcharge (Jul 15, 2026 p.1-2). The MUD 418 minutes on hand (Nov 2025-Aug 2026) do not record the reimbursement.
Why the board approved it
Recorded: “Lift Station No. 4 had no permanent power, so sludge had to be hauled until it was energized (Dec 9, 2025 p.3); the developer was working with CenterPoint (Jan 22 p.5).”
Need is explained. Rates, term and how hauling for MUD 418's facilities would be kept separate were not recorded, and the District later paid hauling that belonged to MUD 418 despite the operator confirming the invoices (Apr 23, 2026 p.2).