The first phase of Houston’s water bill improvement plan is nearing completion. However, instead of improvements, many customers are reporting higher bills than before the mayor’s promised changes. KPRC 2 Investigative reporter Amy Davis looks into what’s changed and why some charges have skyrocketed.
Since late November 2024, approximately 150 customers have reached out for assistance with their water bills.
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Although these are fewer complaints than before Mayor John Whitmire’s sweeping departmental changes, those struggling with high bills are still seeking answers.
A concerned water customer, Robert Bell shared his frustration: “They were like ‘It’s correct,’ and kind of just deal with it. And I’m like ‘Well, make me understand how it’s correct.’ And they couldn’t make me understand.”
Bell, who has lived in his modest northeast side home since 1994, historically used about 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of water monthly, costing him around $34.
During the water bill improvement plan, Bell was assigned a set usage of zero, paying only $29.17 for basic service fees.
However, starting in April 2024, the city reported Bell’s water usage increased significantly
- 5,000 gallons in April
- 6,000 in May
- 7,000 in September and October
His first bill based on actual usage in October was $163, followed by a November bill of $213.
Bell expressed disbelief, saying, “No. cause that’s - I must have a pool in the back... or my neighbor must be using my water, or I must have a leak somewhere. That’s the only reason it could increase like that.”
In December, after reaching out to the water department, Bell’s remote read device was replaced the same day.
The department acknowledged that Bell’s sensor failed during the fall, leading to inaccurate readings, and issued a “courtesy” credit of $384.68.
Bell remains puzzled as to why his usage is now seven times what it was for years.
Why are so many customers dealing with higher water bills right now?
Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi explained, “The reality was for many people who had a water bill issue, we didn’t have a good explanation why their bill was what it was. They didn’t have confidence that they were using that much water and regardless of what we were telling them on the phone, I don’t know that we had the evidence to tell them that that was true either.”
Now, customers can check online to see exactly when water is going through their meter, down to the day and hour.
Bell is utilizing this feature to track his water usage, but 47,000 customers have yet to sign up for this service.
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Other customers, like Claudia Arellano and David Hillin, have also experienced dramatic increases in their water bills.
In each case KPRC 2 Investigates forwarded to the water department, errors were found in the readings, and bill credits were issued.
Macchi acknowledged the challenges, stating, “Look, equipment fails. There are problems. Sometimes there’s a billing system error, right? We know that’s one of the next evolutions of our improvements is to fix our technology just on the billing platform side.”
How to resolve your Houston water bill issues
Despite a reduction in complaints since the beginning of the “DRAINED” investigation, some customers are still facing issues.
Macchi emphasized, “Have we fixed it? No, it’s ongoing. And it’s always going to be ongoing. And I think that’s an important thing to recognize in my conversations with the Mayor. or the way he holds me accountable... there’s not a point where we think that we’ve arrived and we’re gonna go do a bunch of laps around city hall, right? We are really clear on the fact that we may have solved this particular issue. but we’ve got so much work to do.”
Macchi noted that 315,000 of the city’s water meters are over 20 years old, accounting for 72% of them.
Customers experiencing billing issues are encouraged to set up a meeting with the water department, either in-person or virtually.
Since April, more than 800 customers have done so, with 75% of issues resolved in the first meeting.
Meetings can be scheduled here: https://www.houstonwaterbills.houstontx.gov/ProdDP/Default/Default
The KPRC 2 Investigates team will keep working to get answers for you about these water bills. We are committed to reporting on stories that drive transparency and positive change within the community.
*You can check out the full ‘DRAINED’ Investigation here.
