Excessive water bills
outrageous in a regular meter
reads.
>> For months, our KPRC 2
investigates team has heard
your complaints about your city
of Houston, water bills.
Customers are feeling drained
and they’re frustrated that
there is no apparent recourse.
>> And seemingly no one at the
city will listen. So all this
week investigator Amy Davis
is pushing city leaders for solutions.
♪
>> Life on Fortune Street in
acres. is a sad irony. This
it’s it’s and 2.
>> It to my face, bro. Great
year. This is what I use in my
bays with it.
>> This is how 68 year-old
Edward Williams lived in his
2 bedroom flat for 4 years with no running water for us to was
no running water for us to was
the hardest part about all
that.
>> My grand kids want to come
moving to spend the weekend
with Paul Paul and couldn’t
do it.
>> Williams says he didn’t tell
anyone about his situation
until his son stopped by in April and tried to use the
April and tried to use the
bathroom.
>> As it was, oh, no. He’s nowhere, but it is data they
nowhere, but it is data they
say was waters off. I got it.
You know it by the
book. It’s it’s a word. It’s
only been a sieve for years.
He said for years he said no.
Did to get clear Lake to us.
>> Williamson set up a payment
plan with the water department
to pay down what his father
owed. We turn his water back
on with the first payment of
$1100 and an agreement to pay
the remainder of his $2500 debt
each month. That was the end
of April.
But just as Williams thought
his water was were over, his
relief was drained when his
very next bill show he owed
thousands more dollars.
>> I don’t.
>> Work myself to a friends of preying on a pre-dawn preyed
of preying on a pre-dawn preyed
on.
>> He is just one of the
examples. KPRC 2 investigates
identified where the city
leaves customers like Williams
financially and mentally
drained over confusing water usage bills and a lack of
usage bills and a lack of
communication and transparency.
>> It is our desire every
single day to provide good
service to provide a good,
inaccurate billing.
>> Carol, Haddock is the
director of Houston. Public
Works the boss of the Water
Department. We recognize that
there’s always room for improvement. Williams has
improvement. Williams has
worked for 5 months to get
answers from the city about the
$7,493, bill, with no
explanation were came from.
You know, by the tail end of
next year. Problem to figure
that, yes.
>> And we did a
>> Williams landlord hired a
plumber to dig up the water
line and look for leaks.
Camp Rhino really? In the pie.
>> You can see.
>> When only he said the city.
This plumbers report from Ars
that reads, I don’t believe
there is a leak in the water
line and as a professional
plumber would request the
responsible authority, replace
the meter and had it tested.
Well, one city employee after
another put Williams off.
He spotted a public works
employee removing something
from his water meter box at the
end of August. >> He goes up to and Smith told
>> He goes up to and Smith told
stuff out the box. Say what
you do.
Gree where you can do that.
We all review Hugh Williams
says there was no test and no
review. Just the city holding
firm that he owed the money.
>> I was $7,000 water bill.
>> When the water department
never responded, Williams took
his plea straight to the top.
The Houston City Council.
City Council.
>> Everybody I talked to her
can’t get no help. This is
unconscionable. Is there
someone for public works here?
>> Despite voicing their
concerns, council member sent
Williams right back to the
water department. There’s
gentleman sitting to standing
back there. You can get with
him. I’m not trying to get over. I won’t be might be or
over. I won’t be might be or
not someone else’s be you.
>> Pay my bills.
And I really just 7,000 dog
ate my.
>> Williams is not alone.
Dozens of customers have sent
us their
outrageous bills. $31,000,
8,500, more than $1400. More
than 900. This one for more
than 500. What’s going on?
There’s a number of things going on over the last 15
going on over the last 15
months. We have called and
emailed the city of Houston
about these issues. Water
customers build thousands of
dollars meters unread month
after month, unexplained
outrageous adjustments to
customers, bills.
>> Like every company in the city of Houston and nationwide,
city of Houston and nationwide,
we struggle to find enough good
employees to fill our positions
are vacancies in our call
center. We’ve been as high as
50% vacancies over the last
year and a half. >> Haddock says the call center
>> Haddock says the call center
now has about 30 to 40% of its
positions unfilled and aging
infrastructure means the city
is receiving fewer actual meter
reads each month, but none of
that explains why no one is
listening to Edward Williams.
>> Just common sense would say
if you saw where this family lived, there’s no way that he
lived, there’s no way that he
you. 74,000 gallons of water in
one month.
>> And that you’re right, that
that’s a lot of water. And that
doesn’t make sense that that
somebody is getting that kind
of build. Those are exactly
the kind. But the mayor says
reach out to you know, what’s
much work with them one-on-one
and trying to figure out what’s
going on. What happened.
>> Public works has now agreed
to adjust Williams bill.
They’re still doing the math to determine how much they will
determine how much they will
reduce it with what’s called an
unusually large water. Billa
just meant until our interview.
No one from the city told
Williams that he might qualify
for that. If you get an
unexplained near regularly.
Hi, Bill, you might be eligible
for the same type of
adjustment. We will walk you
through how to apply for one on
click 2 Houston dot com tomorrow morning. We’re
tomorrow morning. We’re
continuing. Our investigation
will show you which homeowners
are using the most water each
month and how much they’re
paying for it. I’m Amy Davis,
KPRC, 2 news.
>> All right, Amy, thank you. And remember, if you have a
And remember, if you have a