HOUSTON – Fresh water has been streaming down Colquitt Street in the Montrose area for roughly three weeks, according to people who live in the area.
Pablo Padilla filed a 3-1-1 complaint last week after noticing it while on a walk with his dog.
“I’m from west of El Paso, it’s a desert area,” Padilla said. “My mom used to be the water conservation manager down there. We’re all about saving water, ensuring it for our future. This is pretty egregious.”
Padilla wasn’t the only one to file a complaint. According to the city’s website, the first notice was made on Aug. 7.
Emails shared with KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun shows the city asked complainants “10 calendar days to complete this request.”
“I walk by it every day. No one’s ever - granted it’s early morning, late afternoon - no one is working on it. It’s still leaking,” Padilla said. “That’s why I reached out to you guys to come and see what we can do.”
The City of Houston’s Public Works spokesperson said in an email that they’re aware of the leak.
“Houston Public Works continues to experience high demand in water use across the community,” the spokesperson said. “The very high temperatures combined with the ongoing drought and the increase in water demand have all contributed to the increase in water leaks. The Houston Water team is working diligently to address the leaks.”
The city plans to send crews out Monday, Aug. 21, to start making repairs.
“We encourage Houstonians to call 311 to report water leaks. If a reported leak has worsened, please call 311 again to notify Houston Water that the leak has become more serious,” the public works spokesperson said.
“The one thing I hope the city does is shut it down. It’s just a complete waste of water repair,” Padilla said. “I think they should come in, shut it down for now and if they want to start the repairs Aug. 21, we’ll see but I mean it should be shut down for now.”