HOUSTON – Residents in a northwest Houston neighborhood say every heavy rain brings more than flooded streets—it brings raw sewage.
Neighbors in the Candlelight Oaks community say they’ve dealt with repeated sewage backups over the past several months and even years, claiming wastewater has bubbled out of manholes, flowed into neighborhood streets and, in some cases, backed up into their homes.
“Literally straight up just raw sh** and the thing people put down the toilet is condoms, purple and pink tampons and more condoms,” resident Monica Mendoza More said. “Every time it rains really bad for consecutive days, it bubbles over.”
Mendoza More said the latest backup happened after heavy rain earlier this month, when she says sewage overflowed from a manhole near her home.
She described seeing human waste and other debris in the street and said the smell lingered long after the water receded.
Neighbor Rick Scott said the issue has become a recurring concern whenever heavy rain moves through the area.
“If you ever had gone to an outhouse that’s been sitting out in the sun for a couple of weeks, you’re getting the idea,” Scott said while describing the odor.
Scott said he has witnessed sewage erupting from manholes in the neighborhood and worries about children and pets coming into contact with contaminated water after storms.
“It wasn’t a very healthy environment,” he said.
Mendoza More said the backups have also become expensive.
She said her family spent about $3,500 on plumbing repairs after one sewage backup, along with additional costs for excavation work and restoring their yard, bringing the total to roughly $4,000.
Scott said he believes simply cleaning the streets after each event isn’t enough.
“This is a Band-Aid,” he said. “What’s causing it? Let’s get to the point of it.”
Several neighbors told KPRC 2 they have filed multiple complaints through Houston’s 3-1-1 system.
In response to questions from KPRC 2, a City of Houston spokesperson said crews inspected the area after receiving complaints and found no issues at the time of the inspection.
The city said that, as a precautionary measure, personnel plan to observe the area during future heavy rain events to determine whether additional problems occur.
One resident, Jaunda Payne, also contacted Houston City Council Member Amy Peck, writing that she has had to “manually clean up human feces and toilet paper” from her backyard after heavy rain.
KPRC 2 also reached out to Peck’s office for comment but had not received a response as of publication.
With hurricane season underway and more rain possible in the weeks ahead, neighbors say they aren’t looking for another cleanup—they’re hoping for a permanent solution before the next downpour.