The central management agency that oversees the 10 municipal utility districts, or MUDs, in The Woodlands announced Feb. 27 it will change its name from The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency to The Woodlands Water Agency as part of a rebranding and marketing campaign.

WJPA General Manager James Stinson said in a news release the agency is calling its campaign "Woodlands Water" and aims to improve communications with the community. The name change has not yet taken effect, a WJPA representative said.

“Focus groups revealed that most residents of The Woodlands are not aware of the WJPA, do not understand what services the WJPA performs for the MUDs, and think the current WJPA name is confusing and not descriptive enough to convey the true purpose of the organization,” Stinson said in a news release.

The change received support of the 10 MUDs in The Woodlands, and the agency is developing a new logo and marketing campaign through a partnership with The Woodlands-based Hallaron Advertising, according to the news release.

In addition to its role overseeing area MUDs, WJPA has been involved with initiatives such as building computer models to determine why flooding occurred in events such as Hurricane Harvey and conducting regular system flushing, in which fire hydrants throughout the system are briefly opened, allowing water to flow out.

The 10 MUDs in The Woodlands included in the agency are The Woodlands MUD No. 1; The Woodlands Metro Center MUD; and Montgomery County MUDs 6, 7, 36, 39, 46, 47, 60 and 67.