After nearly two years of KPRC 2 Investigates DRAINED series exposing failures at the Houston Water Department, Mayor John Whitmire is announcing major changes.

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.

‘DRAINED’ Investigation into Houston water bills looks into what you are paying and why.

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.

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.

KPRC 2 Investigates inaccurate and inflated water bills leaving Houstonians feeling ‘DRAINED.’ One Kingwood homeowner emailed Investigator Amy Davis after trying to get back money the city overcharged him for months.

Some of you have contacted KPRC 2 about the water bills you’ve received this week. We started looking into it and learned it’s a bigger issue that Houston Public Works addressed last night.

It’s beyond frustrating when you have a major problem and no one seems to be able to help. For months, our KPRC 2 Investigates team has heard your complaints about your City of Houston water bills. These concerns include everything, from excessive water bills to outrageous and irregular meter readings.