The City of Houston says it has not disconnected any customers over delinquent water bills, but thousands of accounts remain at risk as the city works to address roughly $30 million in unpaid bills.
More than 15,000 accounts across Houston are delinquent, according to the city.
Customers who are more than 90 days behind or owe at least $500 could be subject to disconnection.
Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas said her office has been working with residents in District F after Houston Public Works began notifying customers with extreme delinquencies.
“Public Works have since shared that District F has 920 households on the list that are subject to disconnection,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the reasons behind delinquent bills vary. Some residents dispute their bills, while others may have private water leaks that have gone unrepaired.
In one case, a homeowner contacted Thomas’ office after receiving a water bill for more than $32,000. The homeowner had already been working with Houston Public Works since March to address the issue before contacting Thomas’ office in July.
The homeowner repaired a private-side leak, while Public Works also repaired an issue on the city’s side. Thomas said the city ultimately refunded the homeowner after determining repairs had been made on both sides.
Thomas said the case took roughly five to six months to resolve.
“Absolutely. They administratively did the chargeback,” Thomas said. “I think this is just a reminder to homeowners that, you know, I live in a home that’s old, and I’ve had some damaged water pipes that I’ve had to replace.”
Thomas is encouraging residents who receive delinquency notices to contact their City Council office or Houston Public Works before their accounts reach the point of disconnection.
She said residents should review their water bills and check for possible private leaks, maintenance issues or problems with their meters.
“Pull your water bills,” Thomas said. “Let’s do some due diligence to see if there’s a private leak, if there’s some type of maintenance that needs to happen on our side to reduce your water bill, maybe you need a meter replaced.”
A spokesperson for Mayor John Whitmire’s office told KHOU 11 the city has not disconnected anyone’s water yet.
Thomas said residents who need assistance should reach out quickly, including those who may qualify for help from nonprofit organizations.
The city is continuing to educate customers about the delinquent accounts and potential disconnections.
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