HOUSTON – On Cosmos and Lilac, just north of downtown, water was seen gushing from what a family said the city is blaming on an unused and broken water main that started leaking on Jan. 23.
“We called the Solid Waste Department the other day to warn them not to drive down this road because it’s coming up all along the seams of the road,” said Ceren Karaer.
The water wasn’t just affecting the homes on the street. Neighbors said that it was trickling down a hill, and about 300 feet away, it caused a 20-foot or so stretch of land to partially break away.
Residents are now worried that trees on that stretch of ground could soon fall into the bayou.
Closer to the source of the leak, residents Sander Hunter and Kaerer are forced to use rain boots to tip-toe around the sinking ground on their property, and they also have to purchase water to drink and cook with.
“We’ve just been in a very frustrating back and forth with the city, trying to get them to come out and address the issue,” Karaer said.
They said crews have come out a dozen times, but no repairs.
So, KPRC 2 called the Houston Water Department and within hours, crews were fixing the leak.
“We’re so happy they fixed it,” Kaerer said.
While the couple is grateful the water seems to have stopped flowing under their ground, they say they will have to bring a landscaping company to repair all of the damages, which they say they hope the city will step up and pay for.