Some of the lakes are used for irrigation and then the water has to be replenished with well water or MUD water. Due to the high "turn-over" with well water, the lake water becomes clearer and, as it draws down, sunlight hits the bottom and weeds go crazy.

There are no preventative products that can be applied and the products that are legal to apply have little residual. Algae is literally growing faster than it can be treated. Lake Management only uses products that are EPA approved and there are many species of weeds and algae that are highly resistant to the chemicals that are safe to use. When these species emerge, we can only treat them over time, in an effort to slow their growth and reproduction.

In addition, if we kill too much at one time, the abundant dead mass can crash the oxygen levels, resulting in a fish kill.  Manual algae removal is very labor intensive, costly and temporary. There are various reasons why one lake would have a problem and another nearby would not. The drought and persistent high temperatures are wreaking havoc on lakes all over. We've never been through anything like this and Lake Management is working sun up to past sun down trying their best to keep up.

Long term, the lakes will be fine, but for now, please be patient and know that we are working diligently to keep up with the weather.

• Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full.
• Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
• Replace the showerhead with a water-efficient model.
• When running a bath, plug the tub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
• Grab a wrench and fix that leaky faucet. It's simple, inexpensive, and you can save 140 gallons a week.

The pool schedule for 2011 and pool tags were mailed during the week of April 18th. The pool season started for the Rock Pool and the Frog Pool on May 7th for weekends only. For the other pools, it starts Memorial Day weekend. Please save the schedule for reference throughout the summer.

A change in procedure was adopted by your Board of Directors to save money in coming years. The plan is that the tags we are sending this year will be used for three years. In 2012 and 2013, you will receive only date stickers that will validate your tags for another year.

So it is important that you safeguard your pool tags and save them for the coming seasons.

For those homeowners who received a letter and the pool schedule, but no pool tags, the reason is most likely that your maintenance fees have not been paid. The tags are sent only to those owners who are paid in full or are current on an approved payment plan.

If you have received a letter from the association's attorney, please contact the attorney's office. Otherwise, you can call PCMI for information on your account. Please call 281-870-0585 between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM and ask for the Customer Service Department. They can look up your account and explain your payment options.

If you would like to pay online, go to www.pcmi-us.com and on the opening page, you will see a button to "make a payment." Click that and then select Grand Lakes from the list. Click "Pay your dues here."

On the next screen, be sure to select the e-check option (as that is free) unless you prefer a credit card payment, which carries a fee. You will be asked to fill out a form with your bank account info, routing number, etc. In the box for "Association ID," enter 325. Then, where it says "Association account number," enter your account number as found on any statement or reminder notice sent to you.

You can make a payment in any amount and you will get an immediate email confirmation.