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Township details water‑conservation education, rain‑barrel rebate partnership and National Night Out participation
Summary
Township staff reported a $12,500 budget for water‑conservation education, outreach to 144 fourth‑grade classrooms, a 50% rain‑barrel rebate administered by The Woodlands Water Agency, and broad National Night Out participation (about 289 parties and over 9,000 homes). The board accepted the reports.
Karen Dempsey, the township’s chief administrative officer, briefed the board on the township’s water‑conservation education work and community safety outreach during the Oct. 23 meeting.
Dempsey said the township budget includes $12,500 for water‑conservation education this year and described programming that reaches multiple audiences: a TEEX‑aligned book used in 144 fourth‑grade classrooms in The Woodlands, scout group outreach, drip‑irrigation and rainwater‑harvesting workshops, and storm‑drain marker placements covering about half the community. She emphasized that the township provides education and coordination, but that the rain‑barrel rebate is run by The Woodlands Water Agency: residents in the 10 MUDs served by The Woodlands Water are eligible for a rebate equal to 50% of the barrel purchase price. "We do not actually provide the rain barrels, nor do we provide the rebate — that is all coordinated through The Woodlands Water Agency," she said.
Dempsey also described the township’s National Night Out program and related year‑round outreach. She reported roughly 289 neighborhood parties with participation by more than 9,000 homes in the township and listed related events such as Boots vs. Badges, a blood drive, meet‑the‑fleet activities and other community programs. She noted the township’s long record in the National Night Out competition, saying the township has placed in the program’s top three 25 times and won first place 10 times over more than 35 years.
Board members asked whether the education program covers broader water‑supply policy questions (such as aquifer injection proposals) and whether the township clarifies it does not directly manage potable water; Dempsey said the township focuses on water‑use reduction and education while other agencies handle broader water‑management policy. A director moved and seconded to accept Dempsey’s reports and the board voted in the affirmative.
