A Houston-area water customer was being charged for an irrigation meter he wasn’t using — and when he called to fix it, he got the wrong answer.
Mark, a Houston Heights resident, reached out to KPRC 2 ‘ENOUGH’ reporter Amy Davis after noticing he was paying a monthly fee for an inactive water meter. Customer service told him there was nothing he could do about it. That’s not true.
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What the ordinance actually says
Following KPRC 2’s years-long “DRAINED” investigation into Houston’s water billing issues, the city changed its ordinance. Customers can now pay a one-time $150 fee to cap an inactive meter — including irrigation meters — and lock it so no further charges are applied.
When Mark called Houston Water Department customer service, he was told the option wasn’t available for irrigation meters. Davis confirmed that information was incorrect.
“I checked — and that’s wrong,” Davis said.
What you should do
If you’re in the same situation as Mark, Davis recommends two steps: Call the Houston Water Department directly and contact your city council representative for additional help.
How ‘DRAINED’ led to change
The meter-capping ordinance is one of several major reforms that came out of KPRC 2’s “DRAINED” investigation — a years-long effort that exposed widespread billing problems, faulty meters and corruption inside Houston’s Public Works department.
Before the investigation, customers were charged monthly fees for meters they weren’t using, with no path to opt out. The city’s ordinance change directly addressed that.
Since 2022, the KPRC 2 Investigates team has helped customers recover more than $300,000 in refunds and credits.
The ‘DRAINED’ investigation: A brief history
The “Drained” investigation, led by Amy Davis and Investigative Producer Andrea Slaydon, began after hundreds of Houston customers reported receiving shockingly high water bills.
Among those early cases:
- Rick Naranjo received a $23,000 bill for his Sagemont home.
- Julia Benjamin fought a $38,000 bill tied to a running leak in her home, which had been flooded by Hurricane Harvey.
- Andrea Harclerode was billed for years for water her neighbor was using, resulting in a $15,000 charge.
More than 500 customers contacted KPRC 2 about high water bills during the investigation.
City hall responds
On Oct. 31, 2023, 27 water customers signed up to speak at a Houston City Council meeting, sharing emotional stories of financial hardship caused by billing errors.
Kingwood resident Jan Adelman told council members about a nearly $700 water bill that arrived while his wife was hospitalized.
“My wife was in the hospital for 19 days during that time, so there is no way we used that water. I wasn’t home,” Adelman said.
Adelman told the council his wife passed away less than a month after the bill arrived.
City leaders could no longer ignore the issues. By 2024, newly elected Mayor John Whitmire unveiled a comprehensive Houston water bill improvement plan, including a commitment to replace every broken remote read device on water meters across the city.
Corruption uncovered, arrests made
The “Drained” investigation also exposed corruption inside Houston Public Works. In November 2023, Davis reported on questionable city contracts — work that sparked a criminal investigation and led to the indictment of seven people.
Public Works manager Patrece Lee was identified as the mastermind behind a multimillion-dollar scheme to divert tax dollars to herself, friends and family. She was charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, abuse of official capacity and four counts of bribery.
Six others — including Lee’s brother, a city contract employee and several contractors — were also charged. In early 2025, all seven reached plea deals. Lee received a 10-year prison sentence.
Where things stand now
Houston Water Department has replaced broken remote read sensors on more than 125,000 meters. Those sensors electronically transmit meter readings to the department, improving billing accuracy.
Davis and the KPRC 2 Investigates team say they are still hearing from customers with billing concerns and continue to investigate ongoing issues.
Viewers who have a water billing problem or story to share can email Davis at ADavis@kprc.com or Slaydon at ASlaydon@kprc.com.