HOUSTON – Cleaning up your own mess is a lesson most of us learned as children.
But now some Houston homeowners are asking Amy Davis if CenterPoint Energy isn’t also required to pick up its old, broken equipment and return their yards to the same condition it was in before the storm.
Who is responsible for picking up utility mess debris left behind? KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis works to find answers to your questions.
If your home was damaged in Hurricane Beryl it has probably taken you a while to get everything picked up.
SEE ALSO: Houston families turning to KPRC 2 for help in picking up delayed storm debris
Amy Davis received three emails within three days from homeowners who are now waiting on CenterPoint to do its part to get its broken equipment off their property.
Amy drove over to Rick Winters’ Spring home off of West Strack this weekend to see what CenterPoint left behind. He had no electricity for 10 days after Beryl.
CenterPoint crews came out and put up a new utility pole to replace the one that fell but they just left this old one lying in his neighbor’s yard. They also left wires hanging from a pole. The wires dip to the ground and back up over the fence.
Winters says he has called CenterPoint to report this but that was about 10 days ago, and no one has come out.
“This is how they left it, so I don’t know if they’re coming back to straighten these lines up. Are they gonna leave it hanging on our fence?” said Winters. “I want to know if these lines that are on the ground here, should I get rid of them or leave them on the ground?”
Amy Davis reached out to CenterPoint, the Public Utility Commission, and the City of Houston’s administration and regulatory affairs department.
After calls from KPRC2, CenterPoint Energy stopped by Winters’ home to fix the electric wire. It is required to be high enough that no one can just touch it. They also removed the broken utility pole.
CenterPoint is also holding public hearings in the Houston area where you can talk to utility representatives about your concerns. Check here for a list of locations and dates.
The Public Utility Commission said there is no state rule or statute that specifically requires CenterPoint to remove its equipment after its work is complete. If you have a difficult time getting through to CenterPoint you can file a complaint with the PUC’s customer protection division to get some help.
CenterPoint Energy statement regarding utility debris left behind
“Thank you again for escalating these issues and bringing them to our attention so we could take action. While evaluating the customer concerns you shared with us, we realized all three inquiries are Beryl related. As you may recall, in our immediate response to Beryl, we mobilized more than 15,000 resources to restore our customers as safely and quickly as possible. We replaced over 3,000 poles and removed or trimmed over 35,000 trees from our infrastructure. We value our customers’ feedback and we are committed to working with our customers and addressing any concerns they may have. That’s why we are hosting community open houses throughout our region. Please encourage your viewers to attend an open house near them and/or to reach out to our customer service team at (713) 207-2222.”
(In regard to the reference to three customer questions - Amy Davis sent several customer concerns to CenterPoint and not all of the concerns were mentioned in our story.)
City of Houston statement regarding utility debris left behind
“According to the franchise agreement between the City of Houston and CenterPoint, the utility provider shall interfere as little as practicable with ordinary travel, on streets or other public rights-of-way. Following completion of work in public rights-of-way, the company shall repair the affected public rights-of-way as soon as possible. The franchise agreement does not apply to utility easements on private property.”
Public Utility Commission statement regarding utility debris left behind
“The PUCT’s rules ensure electric utilities provide reliable electric service to consumers. The PUCT does not have jurisdiction or rules surrounding debris removal or storm clean up.
Consumers with concerns about debris following a storm should first contact their electric utility to try and resolve the issue. If they can’t reach a resolution with their utility, consumers can contact 211, their local government officials, or the PUCT’s Consumer Protection Division (CPD) using the information provided on this page of our website. PUCT CPD staff will work with the consumer, gather information, and help contact the utility for assistance.”
Viewer calls for help after Utility crews leave mess and damage
Amy Davis has looked into utility crew mess complaints before. Another viewer contacted Amy after a utility company left behind a mess in his yard. He couldn’t get ahold of anyone to help.
If you ever have a problem with a cable, phone, or any other utility that uses the city’s easement for its equipment, you can try calling your city’s utility regulation office. In Houston, it’s called the Administrative and Regulatory Affairs Department. They will have contacts with the companies and may be able to intervene to resolve whatever issue you’re having.
If you live in the county, you should reach out to your county commissioner.