HOUSTON – ‘Pop-Off Politics,’ is your gateway to the intricate world of how politicians allocate your hard-earned tax dollars, a process that unfolds during city council meetings. Since your money is on the line, it’s crucial that KPRC 2 Investigates examines and ask questions about some expenditures as ultimately it receives the council’s seal of approval. We understand that keeping track of local government actions can be challenging, and that’s where ‘Pop-Off Politics’ comes into play in assisting you.
For months, KPRC 2 Investigates has been tirelessly investigating the pervasive issue of water leaks plaguing the City of Houston. Many of you write to tell us, sharing stories of broken water lines and aging infrastructure that’s exceeded its intended lifespan.
Two weeks ago, on ‘Pop-Off Politics’ we highlighted the city-approved $48 million in contracts for companies to fix our water woes. KPRC 2 Investigator Mario Diaz uncovered that the city’s total expenditure on the matter is north of $80 million dollars.
On Wednesday, city council will vote to approve another $6.2 million to be awarded to Middleton Brown LLC.
In the request to city council, Houston Public Works states, “The City of Houston’s distribution system had been experiencing a high volume of waterline breaks with the number of breaks steadily increasing over the summer months. The contractor has provided additional emergency crews to inspect waterlines in an effort to reduce this high number of breaks and minimize the risk of reduced pressure and operational disruption in the water distribution system.”
Our investigation finds we are now paying more than $50 million for water line repairs than at this time last year.
In our pursuit of transparency, we’ve sought a sit-down interview with city officials, but as of this posting, they have not accommodated our requests.
KPRC 2 Investigates plans on showing you how this impacts all of our wallets in an investigative report airing this Wednesday at 6 P.M. after city council has voted the additional funding for emergency waterline repairs.