HOUSTON – The city of Houston is working overtime to fix more than 1,300 leaks across town.
The problem is a big concern for residents who told KPRC 2 they have been reporting some leaks in or around their neighborhood for several weeks, sometimes even months.
“I mean, that is concerning when they want us to save water but then there’s water leaking for a month,” said Montrose resident Zak Panerao.
The city is currently in stage 2 of its drought contingency plan, which makes it difficult to understand why some leaks wouldn’t be fixed right away.
Heather Davis lives in the Wilshire Court subdivision and said she and her neighbors have been dealing with a leak since September 1.
“We relentlessly made calls. I called Tuesday. It was the last time I tried to call, and it just rang and rang and rang and nobody even answered,” said Heather Davis.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner brought up the issue during Wednesday’s city council meeting but focused on what’s being done to solve the problem.
Turner said since June, the city of Houston and its contractors have completed 3,956 work orders for leaks throughout the city.
“Of that number, 3,140 were completely repaired, 816 were investigated and determined to either not be a leak or was a leak on private property,” Turner said.
Turner added that on average, the city is completing about 400 leaks in a week’s time.
KPRC 2 also obtained a statement from District A Councilwoman Amy Peck:
“Due to the drought, there have been a higher number of water breaks since June. Water breaks can contribute to low water pressure, a cost to the city for lost water, and other water concerns. I support prioritizing these repairs. Water is a necessity. It is not a luxury. Keeping water and water lines property maintained is paramount. There are currently 12 contractors in place for waterline repairs, and I look forward to seeing relief.”