Houston Public Works installed the wrong water meters at 637 homes — and most customers had no idea why their bills were so high. Following a KPRC 2 investigation into the city’s water meter mix-up, viewers had this question: How do I check my own meter?
Here is a step-by-step guide to checking your own meter, finding out if your address is on the list and getting a credit if you were overcharged.
1. Check your water bill
Start with your water bill. On the second page, the city of Houston lists the size of the meter connected to your home. Meter sizes are listed as 5/8 inch, 3/4 inch, 1 inch, 1½ inch or 2 inch.
If your bill shows a 1½-inch meter, pay close attention. That’s the size at the center of this story.
2. Check the meter itself
Next, head to your water meter box — typically located near the curb or sidewalk in front of your home. Open the box and look at the face of the meter, called the register. The register will display a model number.
According to Houston Public Works, a 1½-inch meter should have a Badger Model 120 register attached. If the register reads Model 170 instead, that’s the wrong equipment.
A Model 170 register is designed for use with 2-inch pipes. When installed on a 1½-inch meter, it records water usage inaccurately — either faster or slower than what a customer actually uses. That mismatch is exactly what caused hundreds of Houston customers to receive inflated water bills for months, in some cases years.
For context: If your bill shows a smaller meter — 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch — you would expect to see a Badger Model 25 register. The model numbers and pipe sizes must match for your meter to read accurately.
3. Double check the KPRC 2 interactive map
The KPRC 2 Investigates team has created an interactive map featuring all 637 addresses where the city confirmed wrong meters were installed.
You can also check addresses on this database.
If your address is on the list and you have not received a notice from the city, contact the water department directly.
If your address appears on the map, contact Houston Public Works water customer service to ask about your account status and any credits you may be owed.
The backstory: How this happened
Houston water customers have dealt with a string of billing problems over the last four years — from rate increases to erroneous meter readings. A KPRC 2 investigation has uncovered yet another layer to those problems: Hundreds of customers were billed for water they never used because the city installed the wrong meters at their homes.
“I recently had a bill that was $683,” said Brandon Citizen, a Houston water customer.
Another customer described the shock of opening his bill.
“One day I got a bill and I was like, ‘Woah! This is, you know — this is a huge spike,’” said Charles Anyichie.
Wrong meters, wrong bills
During a major push in 2024 to replace approximately 125,000 aging water meters and install remote-reading devices, Houston Public Works accidentally installed the wrong meters at hundreds of homes. The faulty equipment led to inaccurate water bills for multiple years — and most of the more than 600 affected customers had no idea why their bills were so high.
Heather Laureles was among those customers.
“Getting up to $300, $500, $700...” Laureles said. “We have noticed water bills that were unusually high, and sometimes it doesn’t make any sense compared to what water you’re used to using.”
A tipster provided KPRC 2 with a list of all the addresses where the wrong meters were installed. The source was concerned the city was quietly swapping out the bad equipment without notifying customers — some of whom had been complaining about high bills for years.
“For sure, they should have sent some type of letter or email or something to let us know what’s going on or what’s causing this,” Citizen said.
Citizen lives on Real Street in the Gulfgate area. Public Works installed the wrong meters at homes in that neighborhood in September 2024.
Emails KPRC 2 received through a public records request show the city discovered the error in January 2026. Crews replaced the meters in March 2026. Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi acknowledged the lapse in an April 15 KPRC 2 interview.
Macchi explained the error originated when meter manufacturer Badger shipped the wrong equipment in a large order at the end of 2022.
“They actually installed the wrong register on those water meters. The register they had was not compatible. And so that means the meter itself was registering either faster or slower than what actually took place,” Macchi said.
“Regardless, what it means is the wrong equipment was in the ground. Wrong in terms of broken,” he added.
The bad meters were distributed across the city — from Kingwood to downtown Houston, near the airport and on the southwest side.
Credits, closed accounts, what customers should do now
The city is now calculating how much each of the 637 affected customers may have overpaid. Officials are comparing average usage before the faulty meters were installed against what the broken equipment recorded — and crediting customers the difference.
“If a customer closes their account, it’s going to be near impossible to do that. There won’t be anything for us to give a credit back towards because the account’s not open anymore,” Macchi said.
Macchi’s advice: Do not close your water account until you have resolved any potential overpayment with the city.
‘DRAINED’ Houston water department Investigation
Led by KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis, our investigation spent years shedding light on overbilling, faulty water meters, and mismanagement of city contracts. These discoveries led to the arrest and charges for seven people and an overhaul of how the entire water billing system works.
If you have questions, you can email Amy Davis at ADavis@kprc.com or Producer Andrea Slaydon at ASlaydon@kprc.com.
SEE MORE: Everything you need to know about the ‘DRAINED’ KPRC Investigation