West Houston apartment tenants left without water for days

HOUSTON – Renters living at an apartment complex along Memorial Drive in Houston have been living without running water since Tuesday.

Erin Jones with Houston Public Works said a private contractor hit a city water line near the Aura Memorial Apartments around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Jones said the leak was deep and located around various private utilities. She said crews were working around the clock to restore water.

Dionna Carter has lived at the complex for a year. She is one of the renters braving the extreme heat without running water.

“It's been days. We can’t wash hands. We can’t use the bathroom. We can’t take a shower. We can’t take a bath, and keep in mind we have young people too, as well as senior citizens,” she said.

Carter recorded cellphone video from inside her unit showing her using bottled water to wash her hands. The video showed her faucet was dry and her toilet wouldn’t flush.

Cory Roth, a tenant since last November, said he couldn’t allow his baby to stay there without running water.

“I have a 4-month-old son who I haven’t seen in two days now because he can’t stay here,” Roth said. “Mom and him have to stay at their parents' house in order to have water, make milk, you know.”

Jones said crews were installing the last section of the pipe Thursday afternoon and that water would be restored within hours.

As of Thursday night, frustrations were flowing faster than the pressure of water.

“It’s frustrating both mentally and physically,” Carter said. “You can’t even take a shower and especially for me as a woman, you gotta take care of your lady parts and it’s very unsanitary.”

Tenants said the Aura Memorial handed out a bottle of drinking water and a gallon of water to each tenant.