June 2021 Citizen ConnectionDenton Municipal Electric
Awarded for Reliability
For the third year in a row, DME has received
national recognition for achieving exceptional
electric reliability in 2020. The recognition comes
from the American Public Power Association (APPA),
a trade group representing more than 2,000 not-
for-profit, community-owned electric utilities. The
Association helps electric utilities track power outage
and restoration data through its subscription-based
eReliability Tracker service and then compares
the data to national statistics tracked by the U.S.
Energy Information Administration for all types of
electric utilities. This award is an addition to APPA’s
Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Platinum
designation, which recognizes public power utilities
that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines:
reliability, safety, workforce development, and system
improvement.
Nationwide, the average public power customer
experiences electric outages less than half the
amount of time customers of other types of utilities
do. To put DME’s performance into perspective—
not including significant events—its annual average
outage time is 54 minutes, while the average for
all U.S. electric utilities is 139 minutes. Another
performance indicator is the Average System
Availability Index. This index tracks how long the
system is available to people annually, and DME
prides itself on having a 99.99% index rating. “We are
proud to receive this recognition. It is a testament
to the hard work of all our staff to ensure that
we keep Denton powered,” said Jerry Fielder,
Engineering Division Manager at DME.
For more information, please visit the American
Public Power Association website
https://bit.ly/2T0tWRH or email DME at
dme@cityofdenton.com.
Fight the Bite
Did you know mosquitoes only need two
tablespoons of water to breed? They can grow in
everyday items around the house that hold water
and could become stagnant; such as flower pots
and saucers, fountains, bird baths, rain gutters, open
trash/recycling bins, pet water bowls, ponds, buckets,
wagons, toys, and low lying areas.
To combat this, the City of Denton implements its
Mosquito Surveillance and Response Plan. Its main
goal is to control and decrease the number of adult
mosquitoes by eliminating their breeding ground, if
possible. Some of those mosquitoes could include and
Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus, which
are common in Texas.
Culex quinquefasciatus
• Habitat: Breeds in polluted
water and containers.
• Carries: Zika, West Nile,
St. Louis Encephalitis.
• Active: Bites during the evening,
night-time, and early morning.
• Common name: Southern
House Mosquito
Aedes albopictus
• Habitat: Breeds in tree-holes,
plants, and in containers as little
as a bottlecap.
• Carries: Zika, West Nile, Dengue,
Yellow fever, Chikungunya.
• Active: Bites during the day.
Active year-round. Can live up
to three weeks.
• Common name: Asian Tiger
Mosquito
Mosquito control can be done through the use of
Bti briquettes (donuts), which isn’t a chemical, but a
bacteria found naturally in the soil. These donuts can
treat 100 square feet of surface water for 30 days and
are easy to apply, just drop them in the standing water!
They can be purchased at a local garden/hardware
store or the City can provide two of these donuts per
residence with a valid driver’s license and utility bill.
In 2020, staff deployed more that 2,300 Bti donuts
across Denton. For more information on how to pick up
your Bti from the City, go to: www.cityofdenton.com/
fightthebite.
City Bti Distribution Locations
• Customer Service, City Hall East, 601 E. Hickory St.,
Ste F. Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Dyno Dirt Composting, 1100 S. Mayhill Rd. in the
Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Facility; Tuesday
through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A publication of the City of Denton Department of Public Affairs
ADA/EOE/ADEA • TDD (800) 735-2989 • www.cityofdenton.com
There will be no curbside collection on Monday,
July 5. Residential trash, recycling, and yard waste
collection will move forward one day the week of
July 5 to July 9 in observance of the Independence
Day holiday.
Monday’s route will run on Tuesday;
Tuesday’s route will run on Wednesday;
Wednesday’s route will run on Thursday; and
Thursday’s route will run on Friday.
To view the complete 2021 holiday collection
schedule, visit www.dentonrecycles.com. To receive
updates about your collection schedule, download
the free Engage Denton mobile app.
July 4 Collection Schedule
Your Utility Billing Account
Don’t Miss Important Account Alerts
The City of Denton provides timely communications
to help customers stay informed about their
accounts and utilities. For example, if you forget to
pay your utility bill, we want to ensure it would not
result in a temporary interruption of utility services. To
protect our customers from this inconvenience, the
City provides two automated reminder phone calls
before an account is interrupted for non-payment.
Other occasional courtesy communications such as
notifications of important service outages or events
impacting utility customers may also be conducted via
letter, phone, or email.
To ensure delivery of these important reminders,
contact information, such as mailing address, email
address, and phone number, must be up to date
within our utility billing system. We encourage
all customers to keep their account current and
to communicate any changes to their contact
information to Customer Service by calling
(940) 349-8700.
Protect Your Account Information
As part of the Public Information Act, information
about your account could be subject to an open
records request. Common requests include lists of
addresses with new accounts, locations with past due
balances or recent terminations, and usage or billing
summaries. As a customer, you have a right to submit
a form requesting that information regarding your
utility account be excluded from release.
This request is now available for electronic submission
on the City of Denton website. Just visit
https://bit.ly/341tLb6. The form provides a summary
of Texas laws regarding release of consumer utility
information and an overview of the coverage and
limitations of confidential account status.
For any customer who prefers to submit a paper
form, the form is available on our website under the
forms section of important documents. Additionally,
a paper copy may be mailed. To receive a paper copy,
contact Customer Service at (940) 349-8700 or at
customerservice@cityofdenton.com.
Irrigation Conservation Tips
Of the approximately 320 gallons of water used per
household every day, roughly 30 percent is dedicated
to irrigation. This number increases to 60 percent in
the summer months. Help reduce the water demand
this summer by following these irrigation tips.
• Water between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.
to maximize water absorption and minimize
evaporation. From June 1 to Sept. 30, watering
outside of these times is prohibited.
• Water no more than twice a week to encourage
strong, deep root systems which are better
equipped to withstand the extreme Texas heat.
• Do not water paved areas: Water flow into the road
or walkway indicates overwatering or broken
sprinkler heads.
• Install water-wise landscaping: Choose native
plants to reduce your irrigation needs and mulch in
landscape beds to retain moisture.
• Use efficient irrigation: Consider drip irrigation and
efficient sprinkler heads to minimize waste.
• Check your irrigation system for leaks regularly and
contact a licensed professional to repair broken or
leaking systems.
• Utilize a smart system to detect moisture levels or
rain totals and only water when necessary. For
additional info and to register for upcoming classes,
visit the City of Denton Sustainability Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/sustainabledenton.
Conservation Classes: Sprinkler Spruce Up (virtual),
June 10, 6 p.m. and DIY Rain Barrel, July 15, 6 p.m.