HOUSTON – Emma Meister, a Houston Heights resident, says her yard has been waterlogged for months — and she believes a construction mistake is behind the problem.
According to Meister, the builder of a new home behind her property poured concrete over a critical drainage culvert. That culvert once allowed water to flow through the alley and into a front ditch. Now, she says, it’s completely blocked.
“We no longer have drainage because of this blockage,” said Meister. “The city signed off on it, but now water just pools here.”
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Fears of flooding with hurricane season underway
Meister says heavy summer rains already flood her yard and driveway — and she’s worried the next big storm could push water into her home. She says she hopes the issue is resolved before the end of hurricane season, and before any major disasters cause damage to her home.
Months of calls, no clear answers
Despite repeatedly reaching out to the City of Houston and Harris County, Meister says she hasn’t received a resolution.
“They’ve told me it’s a city issue. Then they said it was a county issue. I’ve been given six different case numbers — and some even had the wrong address,” she said.
Two public works employees have visited the site, and a deputy director called at one point — but no one has followed up since.
A bigger drainage problem?
Meister believes this incident highlights a broader issue with the city’s infrastructure.
“It just doesn’t seem like they’re maintaining their own drainage ditches,” she said. “Water retention is always a discussion here in Houston — and it’s frustrating to see small fixes like this go ignored.”
City responds
When contacted, Houston Public Works told 2 Helps You that the driveway was properly conveyed permitted. They believe the issue lies with the ditch system and confirmed a maintenance crew is scheduled to service the ditches tomorrow.
