Houston \u2013 Beginning September 8, the City of Houston says it will begin disconnecting water service for customers who are 90 days or more behind on their bills and owe more than $500.<\/p>\n
Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi says notices are already going out to customers who could be at risk of having their water shut off.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, what\u2019s happening is notices are going out to customers, just warning them that there is a balance due and that they\u2019re at risk of having an interruption to their water service.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the city, approximately 15,000 customers fall into that category. Collectively, they owe Houston about $30 million.<\/p>\n
In one case, one Houston business hasn\u2019t paid its water bill since 1997. Nearly three decades later, the balance on that single account has grown to about $3.5 million.<\/p>\n
The City of Houston is still investigating exactly how that happened. Officials say they are looking into whether ownership changed, records were lost or whether there were other issues with the account. The city has not identified the business.<\/p>\n
But that account is part of a much bigger problem.<\/p>\n
Macchi says the city has reached a point where it can no longer allow customers to continue receiving water indefinitely without paying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think any reasonable person in the city would say that we should be giving away water for free. And if someone who pays their bill finds out that someone is not paying their bill and is receiving that water, there\u2019s certainly issues of fairness and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why did Houston stop shutting off water?<\/p>\n
The city stopped disconnecting delinquent water customers in 2024 as Mayor John Whitmire\u2019s administration began working to overhaul Houston\u2019s troubled water billing system.<\/p>\n
That followed years of reporting by KPRC 2 Investigates.<\/p>\n