For more than two years, we have exposed serious issues within Houston’s Public Works water department — problems that have left many Houstonians facing inaccurate water bills, resulting in overcharges of thousands of dollars.
Led by KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis, our investigation is shedding light on overbilling, faulty water meters, and mismanagement of city contracts. These discoveries led to the arrest and charges for seven people.
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Thanks to these efforts, Houstonians are getting more accurate bills, working water meters, and greater transparency from city leaders. This is the kind of meaningful change KPRC 2 Investigates strives to bring you every day.
How did the ‘DRAINED’ Investigation start? Desperate customers reached out for help
If you’ve ever received a huge Houston water bill, you know how stressful it can be. That’s why Investigator Amy Davis and Producer Andrea Slaydon started digging into water billing issues. We understand that it’s an issue that directly affects your family’s budget.
In November 2022, we introduced you to Edward Williams.
The Acres Homes senior lived without water for four years after struggling to pay his $7,500 water bill.
Calls and emails from customers about high and irregular water bills began pouring in. Here are just a few examples:
- Rick Naranjo called KPRC 2 when his family received A $23,000 water bill for their Sagemont home.
- Julia Benjamin fought her $38,000 water bill from a running leak in her vacant home flooded by Hurricane Harvey.
- Andrea Harclerode’s contacted us in March 2023 for a $15,000 bill. The city had charged her for years for water her neighbor was using.
- Amy discovers city meter reading issues after several neighbors reported crazy high bills. (The city ended up admitting the mistake and even corrected training manuals with our findings.)
More than 500 customers have complained about high water bills since KPRC 2’s ‘DRAINED’ investigation.
The main problem?
The City of Houston didn’t seem to have answers for most of these customers. Many felt like city leaders were not listening. (During this time, Amy also started investigating shady contract dealings involving Houston Public Works. This turned into a big bombshell later.)
We brought ‘DRAINED’ to city leaders
After working for 18 months to help people dealing with water bill issues (painstakingly, one at a time), Amy signed up to speak at a Houston city council meeting. Water customers with whom we were in touch with also signed up to speak.
At the council meeting on October 31, 2023, 27 customers signed up to share their stories with city leadership.
There were tears and frustration.
Kingwood resident Jan Adelman shared an emotional story about a nearly $700 water bill.
“My wife was in the hospital for 19 days during that time, so there is no way we used that water. I wasn’t home,” said Adelman.
Choking back tears, Adelman told the council that his wife passed away less than a month after the bill.
Another man explained how a surprise high-water bill was drafted out of his account, leaving his family broke on Father’s Day.
City leaders could not ignore the issues anymore.
Amy could never get then-Mayor Sylvester Turner to answer questions about water bills and shady water contract deals.
A few weeks later, this happened: ‘You’re rude!’ Houston mayor refuses to answer ‘DRAINED’ customers questions.
At the end of 2023, city leaders announced minor changes to the water billing codes.
It wasn’t until later in 2024 that new Mayor John Whitmire revealed the new Houston water bill plan. This led to massive changes for Houston water customers.
Customers are billed for their average historical usage until the water department can confirm they have a working remote read sensor on their water meter. Check out more information about the plan here.
But there’s more...
‘DRAINED’ Investigation arrests
The KPRC ‘DRAINED’ Investigation exposed widespread corruption in repair contracts.
In November 2023, Davis exposed questionable contracts within the City of Houston Public Works department. This work sparked a criminal investigation that led to the indictment of seven people.
Public Works manager Patrece Lee was labeled the mastermind behind a multimillion-dollar scheme to divert tax dollars to herself, friends, and family. Her responsibility included overseeing who fixed water leaks in the city of Houston.
Lee was charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, abuse of official capacity, and four counts of bribery.
Her brother, Andrew Thomas, was charged with abuse of official capacity.
Daniele Hurts, a city contract employee, was charged with abuse of official capacity and bribery.
The other four defendants were contractors and business owners charged with bribery for making payments to Lee in exchange for steering the water line repairs, inspections, and city payments their way.
In all, seven people were indicted in the Houston waterline contract corruption scandal.
MORE: All 7 accused in ‘DRAINED’ Houston water contract scandal reach plea deal
In early 2025, all of the defendants admitted guilt for their roles, reaching plea deals. Patrece Lee received a 10-year prison sentence in exchange for her guilty plea.
Where are we now with ‘DRAINED’ in Houston?
We are not done investigating water issues in Houston. We are still hearing from customers who are getting water bills they think are wrong. When the city initiated the water bill improvement plan last April, officials committed to replacing every broken remote read device.
The Houston Water Department has made significant strides in updating its infrastructure by replacing broken remote read devices on 125,000+ meters.
These sensors electronically transmit meter readings back to the department, enhancing accuracy and efficiency. We know some of the older meters are having issues working with the new sensors. We are still investigating these issues.
MORE:‘DRAINED’ results: Houston Water Department ahead in replacing meter sensors
We also heard from several of you who can’t open your new water meter boxes. We had Public Works meet us at one homeowner’s meter box to show us how to get it open.
Since 2022, the KPRC 2 Investigates team has helped customers get back more than $300,000 in refunds and credits.
We are grateful to the Houstonians who trusted us to share their stories and be their advocate when the system failed them. We will not stop advocating for you.
MORE: The impact of local journalism
The ‘DRAINED’ Investigation started with emails and calls from viewers. Do you have a problem or a story you’d like to share?
Email Investigator Amy Davis at ADavis@kprc.com and Investigative Producer Andrea Slaydon at ASlaydon@kprc.com.
