HOUSTON – “I need help, my water bill is too high.”
Since beginning our ‘Drained’ Investigation in 2022, KPRC 2 News Investigator Amy Davis and producer Andrea Slaydon have received more than 500 complaints from Houston-area residents experiencing an increase in their water bill.
Some of the Complaints:
“I moved into my three-bedroom house on Nov. 5, and my bill for the first 10 days here (meter read on Nov. 14) is $467, not including the deposit.”
“I received a water bill for over $1,000 a couple of months ago and have been trying to fight it ever since. Tip of the iceberg. Please help!”
“Reported a water leak at meter on Nov. 15. I was told it would be addressed within 10 days. No one has been out as of Nov. 24. Please help.”
“Last month my bill went from 14K to 21K gallons usage, which is absolutely absurd. There is no explanation or line item on my bill.”
“My water bill jumped up from about $60/mo to $350/mo. The problem is that I’m single and gone most of the time.”
In October, Amy Davis invited water billing customers to sign up for public comment at a city council meeting as part of the ‘DRAINED’ Investigation series. Twenty-seven people out of the hundreds who reached out to KPRC 2 showed up to share their stories and demand answers.
Niya Valentine, one of the viewers who reached out, said she had a $10,000 water bill. Valentine said before receiving the bill, she signed up for the city’s water usage alerts to prevent using too much water and to stop leaks early, but she never got a notification about any problems.
“No leak alert, no email, no information. But when they want that money, they can find you,” Valentine said.
After appearing at the city council meeting, Valentine said the Houston Water Department made an adjustment to her account and she will no longer owe the city $10,000.
But, people are still struggling to make sense of their high water bills. And although we’ve helped over 20 people get refunds back from the city of Houston, there’s still more work to do.
So, what has changed since we started the ‘Drained’ Investigation?
The KPRC 2 Investigates team will keep working on our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation. Email Investigator Amy Davis and Producer Andrea Slaydon if you need help. You can also look through the many ‘DRAINED’ stories we have done to see if you can find the help you need there.