HOUSTON – For three months, a stench has plagued a Meyerland neighborhood, turning morning walks and community events into unpleasant experiences. Residents are tired of dealing with sewage water spilling onto their streets—a mess they say isn’t just unsightly, but also poses health risks.
Neighbor Jon Alder is blunt about what he’s endured.
“When it’s bad…if there’s wind and it’s bad everywhere is not safe it smells the whole area,” Jon Adler said.
“It’s s**t. I mean, toilet paper, I mean… I’d do my best to own an overflow toilet in your house,” he said. “I mean, think about that. Think about this. Three months of overflow toilets in your neighborhood.”
Adler showed KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner a video of a manhole on Prichett Drive and Grape Street that had wastewater bubbling out.
According to Houston Public Works, the issue began when construction crews poured concrete into a wastewater line along Manhattan Street, leading to a blocked system and sewage backups. Public Works has since installed temporary pumps to help control the overflow, but Alder says the temporary solutions aren’t enough.
“There’s holes in it, and so, like, the water just sort of sprays out like a sprayer, you know? It’s like, it’s almost like a fountain, because there’s little holes, so it just, like, kind of sprays out. It’s like a little beautiful sewer fountain of poop water coming out,” he said.
With Halloween around the corner, residents like Amy Ripper are especially worried about how this issue will impact their plans.
“We have a big block party on Halloween,” Ripper said, “and we’re not looking forward to this.”
The smell has permeated much of the area. Neighbor Lauren Blackburn, who walks her dog in the mornings, says the stench is hard to escape.
“It’s terrible. I live a few streets over, and I come out of my house, and I can smell it. The elementary school is two streets away, and you can smell it from there. It’s gross,” she said.
Many residents say their calls to 311 are only met with temporary fixes, and they feel their concerns are being ignored.
“I’ve called, and I mean, they’re very aware, and you can see on their tracker that it’s been reported numerous times. They come out, and they pump it, clean it, and the next morning it’s bubbling over. So it’s like temporary fixes they keep doing,” she said.
Alder echoed the dissatisfaction, claiming 311 isn’t delivering solutions.
“I haven’t gotten anywhere. In fact, I’ve called multiple times, and I have… There are people who have called for me as well, like… Because 311 seems to want to just close all the cases to try to look better than they are. So this is a daily event. You cannot… deny that,” he said.
Houston Public Works says it’s now working with the developer to find a permanent fix, with plans to install a new manhole and an 18-inch wastewater line. In a statement, Public Works explained, “Once repairs are completed, our wastewater operations will handle disinfection and cleanup. We will continue to communicate plans with the developers and neighbors.”
Alder, however, is frustrated with the slow progress.
“Kind of brings out the troubles, the problems in the city and with the construction and all the different disparate parts that need to work together. And I don’t see them working together here. They’re like everyone’s trying to protect their territory and don’t want to get in trouble. That’s how I see it,” he said.
For now, Meyerland neighbors are left hoping the city’s new proposal will finally bring relief to a messy situation. Until then, they’re forced to navigate a stinky, bubbling reminder that not all neighborhood fountains are beautiful.
Statement from Houston Public Works
“Developers pouring concrete along 8923 Manhattan damaged and blocked a wastewater line, leading to overflows. Houston Public Works has installed temporary bypass pumps to ensure wastewater continues to flow for neighbors. A proposed permanent solution would include installing a new manhole and 18-inch wastewater line. Once repairs are completed, our wastewater operations will handle disinfection and cleanup. We will continue to communicate plans with the developers and neighbors.”