Ask Amy: Your FAQ about the new Houston water bill plan
Houston water customers DRAINED from inaccurate, exorbitant bills are hopeful the mayor’s new plan to fix the problems will work. But many of you have questions about the process. Investigative reporter Amy Davis has answers to your most common water bill plan questions.
DRAINED: KPRC 2 Investigates Houston's water bill hike
After nearly two years of KPRC 2 Investigates DRAINED series exposing failures at the Houston Water Department, Mayor John Whitmire announces major changes. This comes a few weeks after Mayor Whitmire talked with Amy Davis about the ongoing issues and his work to find solutions for people. These new changes start right now and you will already notice changes on your water bill.
Here’s how much more you will pay for your Houston water bill this month
Houston’s latest water rate increase took effect April 1st. The city said the average customer will notice about a 9% increase in their monthly bill. Investigative reporter Amy Davis crunched the numbers to show you what it looks like on real accounts and she’s sharing what the city may do with the extra money.
‘DRAINED’ results: Houston Mayor announces new water bill improvement plan; here’s what it means for you
After nearly two years of KPRC 2 Investigates DRAINED series exposing failures at the Houston Water Department, Mayor John Whitmire announces major changes. This comes a few weeks after Mayor Whitmire talked with Amy Davis about the ongoing issues and his work to find solutions for people.
How renters can make sure their water bill is right
The KPRC 2 ‘DRAINED’ Investigation is helping people get to the bottom of water bill issues in Houston. Investigator Amy Davis has gotten questions from renters about water bills. Often if you live in an apartment you know water bills can be unpredictable. One month it’s high and the next month it’s low. Here’s a way to determine what you actually owe for your water bill.
‘DRAINED’: Huge water bills at apartment complex, what renters can do
While Houston homeowners struggle with inaccurate, seemingly impossible water bills we are hearing from landlords and renters who say they are ‘DRAINED’. Investigative reporter Amy Davis is getting to the bottom of one apartment complex water bill that - if unresolved- could leave renters homeless.
Water bill hike coming. So what is the city doing with that extra money?
Houston’s water rates are going up again in less than two weeks on April 1st. It’s the fourth increase since September of 2021. Investigative reporter Amy Davis explains how much you can expect your bill to increase and what the city is doing with the extra money.
DRAINED: Thousands of water customers can now see water usage by the hour
As the Houston water department replaces remote read sensors on every water meter in the city, customers will have access to a new portal where they can see how much water they are using hour by hour. The portal also lets you set alerts that will be sent to your phone or email warning you if you exceed a certain number of gallons in a day, week or month. This article explains who has access to the portal and how to set up your account.
Who will be in charge of the new water bill relief plan? Here’s what we know
Houston Mayor John Whitmire is sharing new details about a plan to help frustrated water customers. He gave an exclusive interview to Investigative reporter Amy Davis. ‘DRAINED’ has been investigating the water department for nearly two years trying to help many of you deal with excessive and confusing water bills. But we wanted to know, who will be in charge?
‘DRAINED’ Results: Homeowner finally in new home after massive water bill issue
For the first time in nearly six years a Houston victim of hurricane Harvey is waking up in her own bed in a brand new home. It wasn’t just the floodwaters that kept Julia Benjamin from getting back home. A $39,000 City of Houston water bill almost kept her from getting the new home she qualified for from the Texas General Land office.
‘Waste of taxpayer’s money’: City spends money on trinkets amid water bill crisis
While Houston water customers wait for relief from inaccurate and unexplained high water bills that’s left them ‘DRAINED,’ KPRC 2 Investigates has discovered the head of Houston Public Works, memorializing the department with trinkets we’re all paying for.
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.