The quiet work that protects homes in MUD 31

October 21, 2026 10:39 pm

Your water and sewer now come from the City of Iowa Colony. The District still has a job: keeping stormwater moving so yards, streets, and homes stay protected.

At A Glance

• What: Five clogged rear-yard storm inlets were cleared behind homes in Sterling Lakes Estates.
• Who: Terry's Landscape LLC, a vendor working for MUD 31.
• Why it matters: Rainwater can once again drop into the storm system instead of sitting in yards.
• Your role: Keep drainage easements clear and report buried grates or standing water at bcmud31.org.

What MUD 31 does today

If you live in Sterling Lakes or elsewhere in Brazoria County Municipal Utility District No. 31, you may wonder what the MUD still does. MUD 31 is an in-city district. In March 2024, the City of Iowa Colony took over the water and wastewater systems. Residents now get those services from the City.

The District did not go away. MUD 31 still owns and maintains the detention ponds, channels, outfalls, and other drainage facilities that carry stormwater away from homes. The Board wants residents to see that work, not just meeting notices. This is the first in a series of short stories about maintenance happening across the District.

Who does what

Three groups help keep Sterling Lakes running, and residents play a part too. Here is who to think of for what.

MUD 31

Owns, inspects, maintains, and repairs detention ponds, drainage channels, outfalls, and related stormwater facilities
Hires and oversees vendors for drainage work, like the inlet cleaning in this story
Levies taxes to pay its bonds and operate its detention and drainage facilities
May help enhance POA-owned parks, sidewalks, and landscaping, at the Board's annual discretion

City of Iowa Colony

Owns and operates the water and wastewater (sewer) systems since March 2024
Residents are City customers for water and sewer service
Designs and builds wastewater treatment plant expansions that MUD 31 helps fund

Sterling Lakes POA

Owns parks, sidewalks, and landscaping within the District

Residents

Keep drainage easements behind homes clear of fences, sheds, dirt piles, and heavy planting
Report buried grates or standing water after a normal rain on the bcmud31.org “Contact Us” page
Keep grass clippings, pet waste, oil, and chemicals out of storm drains

A recent example: five inlets behind homes

Behind some homes in Sterling Lakes Estates, stormwater is supposed to drop into metal grates set in drainage easements. Those inlets feed the neighborhood storm system. When grass grows over the grate, or old filter fabric clogs the opening, rainwater cannot get in. It sits in yards or sheets across the ground instead.

Terry's Landscape LLC, working for the District, cleared five of those rear-yard inlets. The crew did three things:

1: Cut back Trimmed the turf that had grown over the grates. 2: Clear out Removed the filter fabric that was blocking flow. 3: Haul off Took the cut grass and fabric off site

After that, rainwater had a clear path into the drain again.

Before and after

Storm drain inlet partially blocked by grass, mud, and debris in a grassy area, illustrating conditions before maintenance and cleaning work.

BEFORE : The grate is almost lost in the lawn

Close-up of a metal storm drain inlet grate set in a grassy area, showing a cleared opening and surrounding turf after maintenance and cleaning work.

AFTER: Openings clear so water can drop in

Storm drain inlet grate partially covered by grass and vegetation in a residential drainage area, showing restricted water flow before cleaning and maintenance work.

BEFORE : Grass and fabric choke the openings

Close-up of a cleaned storm drain inlet grate surrounded by cleared soil and grass, showing improved drainage access after vegetation and debris removal.

AFTER: Fabric removed and the grate cleaned

What a clogged inlet can mean at your home

A buried grate is easy to miss on a dry day. In a storm, it shows. When water cannot get into a rear-yard inlet, it has nowhere to go but across the lawn, and it can stand in yards behind homes until it soaks in or finds another path.

Photos courtesy of Director James Lee.

This is what a blocked inlet can look like after a rain: water pooling in the yard instead of draining away.

If you see water like this behind your home after a normal rain, check the grate and let the District know.

Why a small grate is part of a bigger system

Rain hits roofs, yards, and streets first. Then it needs a way into the storm system. That happens through inlets like these and through roadside drains. From there, detention ponds and channels hold the water and let it out slowly so it does not all rush downstream at once.

Rain: Roofs, yards, and streets. Inlets: Rear-yard grates and roadside drains. Storm System: Carries water away from homes. Ponds and channels: Hold water, release it slowly.

That system is what MUD 31 still maintains. The District inspects, maintains, and repairs detention ponds, channels, outfalls, and related stormwater facilities. The aim is straightforward. Move water. Cut down on standing water. Limit erosion. Help the neighborhood drain the way it was built to drain.

Aerial neighborhood map highlighting multiple storm drain inlet cleaning locations with yellow shaded areas and red markers along residential streets in Sterling Lakes Estates.

Where the work happened

The five Sterling Lakes inlets are a small piece of that system. They sit off the street, along the back of lots, which is why they are easy to miss until a storm shows the problem.

Map: yellow bands mark the rear drainage easements included in this cleanup. Red dots show the inlet locations.

Three Grates Staying In Place on Purpose

Three of the five grates had stuck to the concrete around them. Pulling them off could have cracked the structure underneath. The crew cleaned those inlets without lifting the grates. They reached through the openings, cut the old fabric free, and pulled it out. The drains work again, and the concrete was left alone.

Meet the team behind the work

MUD 31 relies on outside vendors and consultants to do its work. When you see these crews in the neighborhood, they are working for the District.

Terry's Landscape LLC

Role: Landscape company working for MUD 31
This project: Inlet cleaning in the rear drainage easements of Sterling Lakes Estates
What they did: Cut back overgrown turf, removed filter fabric from all five inlets, and hauled off the debris

Thank you to the Terry's Landscape crew for careful work that protects homes in MUD 31.

HOW RESIDENTS CAN HELP

THREE EASY HABITS

Keep easements clear. Fences, sheds, dirt piles, and heavy planting over an inlet make it harder for water, and for maintenance crews, to reach the drain.
Speak up If a grate behind your home has disappeared under grass, or water stands there after a normal rain, let the District know through bcmud31.org.
Nothing but rain down the drain. Do not dump grass clippings, pet waste, oil, or chemicals into a storm drain. Those inlets do not go to a treatment plant. They go to the ponds and channels that serve the neighborhood.

What this means for you

Over the coming months, the District plans to share more of these updates on pond work, channel work, and inlet and outfall maintenance. The goal is for residents to see how District taxes support the facilities that protect their property.

Clearing five buried inlets in Sterling Lakes is not flashy work. On the next hard rain, it lets water go where it is supposed to go.

Brazoria County Municipal Utility District No. 31

Sterling Lakes Estates is within the City of Iowa Colony. Water and wastewater service is provided by the City. Drainage and detention facilities are maintained by MUD 31. Board meetings are open to the public on the fourth Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m.

Closing slide thanking Brazoria County MUD No. 31 and Sterling Lakes Estates for the opportunity to service the community, featuring Terry’s Landscape LLC branding on a dark green background.

Scope of services slide outlining storm drain inlet cleaning tasks, with photos showing clogged inlet grates and vegetation-covered conditions before maintenance work.