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Soft, salty water: what it does and does not mean
Cross Roads gets its water from Mustang Special Utility District, listed on the town’s utility providers page. Mustang blends Trinity and Woodbine groundwater, surface water from Upper Trinity Regional Water District, and groundwater bought from the City of Sherman. Its 2024 water quality report lists total hardness of 6.34 ppm, about 0.4 grains per gallon, with sodium at 220 ppm, total dissolved solids at 603 ppm and alkalinity at 322 ppm. Sherman’s own table shows hardness of 5.45 ppm and sodium of 283 ppm.
That is soft, high-sodium water, not hard water. There is very little scale to remove, so a softener here may add sodium without solving anything. The blend can differ from one address to the next, so if someone is pushing a softener, a water test settles it. See water quality testing and our page on water softeners for when one makes sense.
Chloramine and the rubber parts in your house
The Upper Trinity portion of the supply is disinfected with chloramine, which averaged 3.16 ppm in the same report, with a range from 1.60 to 3.90 ppm. Chloramine is safe to drink, but over the years it can wear down rubber toilet flappers, supply hoses and seals. A toilet that runs on, a brittle hose or a seal that weeps are common results. They are small repairs, and a running toilet wastes water every hour it runs. Our toilet repair and installation page covers the usual fixes.
Three fuels, three kinds of water heater call
Cross Roads is split on heating fuel. Here is how the occupied homes break down in the Census data.
| Fuel | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 337 | 47.4% |
| Utility gas | 282 | 39.7% |
| Propane | 83 | 11.7% |
The town lists Atmos, TXU Energy in some areas, and CoServ, and notes that service varies by location. Utility gas and propane need different fittings and different checks. On a propane home, burner or pilot trouble often traces to the tank level or the regulator. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas supplier or 911 from outside before you call us. For repairs to the piping itself, see gas line repair.
Newer homes, first-generation parts
The median Cross Roads home was built in 2012. Of 768 housing units, 341 date from 2010 to 2019 and 116 from 2020 or later, about 59% built since 2010. Another 122 are from the 2000s, and about 8% predate 1970. Most, 712 units, are detached single-family homes, and 16 are mobile homes. The median home value is $632,300 in the same data. The town recognizes subdivisions including Bridle Ridge Ranch, Forest Hills, Oak Hill Ranch, Stone Mountain Estates 2 and The Preserve at Hillstone Pointe, per its community page.
A home that is 10 to 15 years old is at the age when first-generation parts start to go. Expect a heater near the end of its life, a pressure regulator that has drifted, or a faucet cartridge that has started to drip. For the heater, start with water heater repair and installation. Homes from this period are often plumbed with PEX and a central manifold, and when one line fails we can usually shut off just that branch while we repair it. Ask about it if you are not sure where your manifold is.
Long runs from the meter
Larger lots mean longer buried water lines between the Mustang meter and the house. A leak on that run often shows up as a high bill, a meter that keeps turning with everything off, or a soggy patch of turf well before there is any sign indoors. A leak detection visit can find it. Inside the house, drain lines are the other half of the picture. A slow tub, a gurgling sink or a drain that backs up in the lowest fixture is worth a visit before it turns into a full stoppage. Mustang SUD lists a sewer charge in its monthly rates, and the town’s utility list names no sewer provider, so ask the town or Mustang what applies at your address.
Drainage, US 380 and cold snaps
Surface water is its own topic. Council took up drainage problems in Oak Shores on Keyes Lane and Mill Creek Road in April 2024, per the town’s drainage page, and US 380 has been widened with new bridge and drainage work, per the town’s TxDOT projects page. If you are adding a yard drain or digging near the road, call 811 first so buried lines are marked.
Cold matters too. DFW Airport logged 58 straight hours at or below freezing from January 24 to 26, 2026, according to the National Weather Service. Long runs of pipe across large lots, outdoor faucets and irrigation are the exposed spots. Our exterior plumbing repair page covers those.
Questions we hear in Cross Roads
A few topics come up often in a town like this, with large lots, mixed fuels and soft water.
- “Do I need a softener?” Probably not for scale. Test the water and decide from the results.
- “Why does my toilet keep running?” Check the flapper first. Chloramine is hard on rubber.
- “Is that smell propane?” If you smell gas, leave and call from outside. Do not look for the source yourself.
- “My bill jumped and nothing looks wrong.” Check the meter with every tap off. If it still moves, there may be a leak on the buried line.
Cross Roads, by phone
Cross Roads sits about 6 miles in a straight line from Aubrey and shares ZIP code 76227 with it. Town Hall is at 3201 US Highway 380, Suite 105. Call (469) 552-2881 any hour. We quote on site, apply the $79 dispatch fee toward approved repairs, and back parts we supply with a 5-year warranty. Texas license M-46210.
Last updated: October 6, 2026