DRAINED: Here is how to tell if your Houston water meter has been upgraded
At the root of Houston's water bill crisis are tens of thousands of meter reading devices that are no longer functioning. More are failing every day. While Houston Public Works plans to replace the remote read devices on all 500,000 water meters, it is a slow process. We asked for the records to find out where they have already installed approximately 85,000. The water department won't alert you before they replace yours, and you may not even notice a difference when they do. In this video, we show you how you can tell if you have an old remote read sensor or a new one.
‘Don’t make me fight to pay you’: Customer says city hasn’t charged him for water in more than 2 years
Cable, electricity, gas.. if you want any of these things, you have to pay for them. But what if you used the service and never received a bill for them? Would you call the company to ask what you owe? How many times would you call? This is the same dilemma some Houston water customers are having. While many of you are feeling drained, stuck with exorbitant bills, we're hearing from other customers who say the city isn't charging them anything for water.
Public Works has $46.3 million in extra revenue. So why raise water rates again?
Each week we in our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation are showing you water bills for hundreds, even thousands of dollars that are “draining” Houstonians. NEW TODAY: We are asking questions about the planned water bill increases and extra city money. Investigative reporter Amy Davis explains why some are questioning whether the city needs the extra revenue.
DRAINED Results: Denied help for high water bill? Try again right now
KPRC 2 Investigates has exposed systemic meter reading and water billing issues at the city of Houston's water department for the past 2 years. Just this month, the water department used ordinance changes City Council approved in December to wipe out hundreds of high balances.
Houston area customers charged for water they’re not using can pay one-time fee to have meter locked
Customers who have been hit when never-ending water bills by Houston’s Public Works Department can see some relief if they are willing to pay a one-time fee of $150. KPRC 2 Investigates have been working closely with the Public Works Department, the city of Houston, and local officials to get answers on the ongoing charges.
Houston Mayor still working on plan to tackle high water bills uncovered by KPRC 2 Investigates
A big update on KPRC 2′s ‘DRAINED’ Investigation into Houston water bills. Investigator Amy Davis was first to tell you about the outrageous water bills from the city of Houston and she’s been helping customers get thousands of dollars in refunds. Now that there’s a new administration Mayor John Whitmire wants to bring some much-needed relief and prevent these types of bills.
Thousands of Houston customers billed for water they’re not using
Some 7,000 property owners in the city of Houston are paying monthly water bills even though they haven’t used a single drop of water. Houston City Council voted to change the ordinance in December to give those customers are way to stop the never-ending charges. But even with that change, the water department is still sending monthly bills without letting those citizens know there is a way to make them stop.
‘Not a fair process’: Inside look at hearing to fight high water bill
Houston water customers are starting 2024 just as drained as they were in 2023, trying to resolve inaccurate and unexplained water bills. Investigative reporter Amy Davis is giving you peek inside a water customer’s administrative hearing to dispute his big bill.
Water device featured in KPRC 2′s ‘DRAINED’ investigation among top gadgets at CES 2024
It’s always interesting to see the new types of gadgets and technology that people are working on. A product featured during this year’s Consumer Technology Association’s annual trade show (or CES) is something we featured in our ‘DRAINED’ Investigation! KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis tested a water monitoring device that could help frustrated water bill customers.
DRAINED: Who is investigating questionable city contracts? What is the Office of the Inspector General?
When KPRC 2 Investigates first exposed the conflicts of interest to the City of Houston city leaders told us they referred the allegations to the Office of Inspector General to investigate. Now, six weeks later Investigative reporter Amy Davis is explaining what that office does and does not do.
Suspended water employee authorized $116K payment to her brother after city of Houston started investigation
Five weeks after KPRC 2 Investigates uncovered questionable connections between businesses awarded millions in waterline repair jobs and city of Houston employees, we're digging deeper to show you what city leaders have done with the information.
Metal recycler sends Navy Veteran coins made from old naval ships
Our story about 92-year-old Navy war veteran Jessie Lara reached people across the country who wanted to thank him for his service. One of those people is Chris Green. He is a Houston native who now lives in Brownsville where he runs a marine recycling company called EMR U.S.A. Green sent Jessie a set of challenge coins made from the metals removed from old U.S. Naval ships when they were recycled.
Houston City Council delays vote on water bill ordinances that could’ve provided instant relief to customers
The city of Houston could finally see changes to its policy that will hopefully help Houstonians who are feeling DRAINED by high water bills. The vote on new proposals was put on hold during the city council meeting.
‘DRAINED’ Results: How much money we’ve helped customers get back on water bills
We are getting results from our ‘DRAINED’ investigation into Houston water bills. This week city leaders plan to address the issue at city council, hopefully with some solutions. Plus, while we are hearing from more of you who have issues others are getting the help they need.
Is your neighborhood on the list of top places where people ask for water bill help?
We know Houston water customers are ‘DRAINED’ dealing with huge bills you don’t think you owe. Investigative reporter Amy Davis has shared dozens of cases from customers looking for help. KPRC 2 has the hard numbers to show the growing problem and which areas of Houston have the most people asking the city to adjust their bills.
What’s the holdup? City of Houston stalls 15 months releasing public records
As Houston water customers struggle to get answers about inaccurate bills, KPRC 2 Investigative reporter Amy Davis is also struggling to get the city of Houston to release public records that could help explain what’s ‘draining’ so many people.