Resource Hub
The Bayou City Waterkeeper Resource Hub is designed to empower communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to advocate for water justice in the Houston region. As a comprehensive platform, it offers community members, local agencies, and stakeholders access to educational materials, resources, and guidance to support their advocacy efforts and advance water justice.
Explore our resources by filtering relevant topics or types of materials that interest you. You can view all resources and refine your search below.
Justice in the Sewers: Understanding Your Sewage System
This resource provides context to understanding sewage systems, impacts of SSOs, and how to identify sewage issues in your home.
Sullivan Ranch Sand Borrow Pit (Galveston, TX)
Community resource for the Sullivan Ranch Sand Borrow Pit in Galveston, TX.
Wetland Preservation and Green Infrastructure Toolkit
This guide provides an accessible overview of wetland protection, community advocacy, land conservation tools, and green stormwater infrastructure strategies that can help reduce flooding, improve water quality, and protect wetlands.
External Drinking Water Resource Guide
BCWK does a limited amount of drinking water work, however, we created a drink water resource guide for folks to find more helpful information.
Quick Reference Water Resource Guide
Looking for resources on high water bills, flooding, sewage, pollution, or more? Check out our quick reference guide here.
Sign BCWK’s MS4 Petition!
Interested in supporting cleaner water and green infrastructure? Sign our MS4 petition here!
Recurso de Justicia de Alcantarillado Baytown
¿Te interesa saber más sobre los problemas relacionados con las aguas residuales en Baytown? Obtén más información en este recurso.
Baytown Sewage Justice Resource
Interested in knowing more about Baytown’s Sewage Issue? Learn more using this resource.
Water Equity Climate Resilience Caucus (WECR) Narrative Change Toolkit
The Narrative Change Toolkit is an entry point to narrative work. This toolkit is a living resource that includes an introduction to narrative change, groundings, case studies, and guided activities. We encourage you to download and follow along to learn about narrative change and influse narrative change principles into our every day work.
BCWK Glossary [Live Document]
Looking for a glossary of terms relating to our work at Bayou City Waterkeeper or Water Justice? Visit our BCWK Glossary where we are continuously making updates to these definitions and resources.
Turning The Tide Policy Agenda Zine in English and Spanish
Looking for a shorter and more digestible version of our Policy Agenda Turning the Tide? Please check out and print this zine to learn more or share with your friends/colleagues. View the canva link below.
Baytown EPA Resource/Fact Sheet
Check out this fact sheet from the EPA, available in both English and Spanish. It breaks down the enforcement actions taken to address Baytown’s ongoing SSO problems and outlines what’s being done to protect public health and the environment.
Private Sewer Lateral Policy Brief (English)
This brief provides background about sanitary sewer infrastructure, along with sewage problems in Houston that led a court to order the City to invest $2 billion into sewage infrastructure through 2036. As the City marks the third year of this investment in April 2024, this policy brief offers nine sewage demands created with input from community interviews, outreach, and research, as well as organizational experience with the consent decree infrastructure
Policy Recommendations for Houston’s Next Mayor 2023
Check out our policy recommendations highlighting our communities’ needs around water infrastructure funding and improvements, centering community voices, and green infrastructure investments.
Justicia en las alcantarillas informe
Este informe proporciona información general sobre la infraestructura de alcantarillado sanitario, junto con los problemas de alcantarillado en Houston que llevaron a un tribunal a ordenar a la ciudad que invirtiera 2.000 millones de dólares en infraestructura de alcantarillado hasta 2036. A medida que la ciudad marca el tercer año de esta inversión en abril de 2024, este informe de política ofrece nueve demandas de alcantarillado creadas con el aporte de entrevistas comunitarias, divulgación e investigación, así como la experiencia organizativa con la infraestructura de alcantarillado.
Natural disaster resources
Prepare Before a Storm
Make a household emergency plan, gather essential supplies, and know how you will receive official information.
- Make a plan and build a kit: Ready Houston provides Houston-area planning guides, emergency-plan templates, and preparedness information. Households should prepare enough food and water for five to seven days.
- Prepare for hurricanes: Ready.gov includes guidance for preparing your home, planning an evacuation, and staying safe before, during, and after a hurricane.
- Plan for disabilities and access and functional needs: Ready Houston’s DAFN resources cover medical equipment, utility outages, accessible emergency kits, evacuation, and support networks.
- Register for evacuation assistance: Dial 211 to learn about the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry, or STEAR. Registration does not guarantee a particular service during an emergency.
- Check your flood risk: Use the Harris County Flood Warning System for rainfall and bayou-level information in Harris County.
Sign Up for Emergency Alerts
Sign up for alerts where you live and work. Because no single alert system will report every emergency, follow more than one reliable source.
- Houston and other area cities
- Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, and Montgomery counties
- Waller County alerts
- ReadyHarris alerts and current updates
- Montgomery County AlertMCTX
ReadyHarris also offers accessible alerts in American Sign Language and English and Spanish voice-to-text formats. Text READY to 281-609-9093 to register.
During a Storm or Emergency
Find Information and Assistance
- Emergency services: Call 911 for immediate threats to life or safety.
- Community resources: Dial 211 or 877-541-7905, or search 211 Texas, for shelter, food, crisis counseling, health services, utility assistance, and housing resources.
- City of Houston services: Dial 311 or 713-837-0311 to report flooding, water leaks, fallen trees, malfunctioning traffic signals, or other non-emergency City concerns. Houston 311 operates 24 hours a day. Submit a request online.
- Emergency shelters: Check the American Red Cross shelter map or call 800-733-2767.
- Road conditions: Check closures, flooding, crashes, and construction on state-maintained roads through DriveTexas. Local street conditions may need to be confirmed with the city or county responsible for the road.
- Local emergency updates: Visit Ready Harris and the Houston Office of Emergency Management during an active event.
Power Outages, Downed Lines, and Gas Leaks
- View outages and restoration estimates through the CenterPoint Energy Action Center.
- Report a power outage or downed power line: 713-207-2222 or 800-332-7143.
- Stay at least 35 feet away from downed or low-hanging power lines. Do not touch nearby fences, vehicles, trees, or standing water.
- If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately and call 911. Then call CenterPoint at 713-659-2111 or 888-876-5786.
After a Storm
Report Damage
- Tell your insurance provider about damage as soon as possible. Photograph damage before beginning repairs when it is safe to do so.
- Report damage to the State of Texas: Complete the TDEM iSTAT Damage Survey for damage to a home, business, or agricultural property. This helps officials identify needs and determine whether an area may qualify for additional assistance.
- Completing iSTAT is not an application for financial assistance, does not replace an insurance claim, and does not guarantee assistance.
- Share unmet needs with local nonprofits: Complete Connective’s Disaster Needs Assessment. This is not an application for or guarantee of assistance.
Recovery Assistance
- Disaster legal aid: Low-income disaster survivors can call Lone Star Legal Aid at 866-659-0666 or apply online. Assistance may include insurance claims, landlord problems, home-repair contracts, lost documents, property ownership, and disaster-benefit appeals.
- State assistance: Find housing, health, food, recovery, and other programs through TDEM’s Resources for Texans.
- Texas health and benefits assistance: Visit Texas Health and Human Services disaster assistance.
- Destroyed SNAP food: A household may request replacement benefits when food purchased with SNAP was destroyed by a flood, fire, tornado, or qualifying power outage. The loss generally must be reported within 10 days of discovering it. Dial 211 or review HHSC replacement-benefit instructions.
- Federal disaster assistance: When federal Individual Assistance has been approved for your location and disaster, apply at DisasterAssistance.gov. FEMA assistance is not activated for every emergency or every affected county.
- Home cleanup: Crisis Cleanup numbers and closing dates change with each disaster. Check current Crisis Cleanup activations rather than publishing the old 832-509-2977 number permanently. Cleanup help is volunteer-based and is not guaranteed.
Boil Water Notices
A boil water notice means your water may contain harmful bacteria or other microbes. Follow the notice issued by your water provider until the provider officially announces that it has been lifted.
Does a notice apply to me?
- Check your water provider’s website, alerts, social media, and direct notices.
- If you do not know your provider, check a recent water bill or search the Texas Drinking Water Watch database.
- City of Houston customers can call 311 or 713-837-0311 about an unexpected water interruption.
- Follow TCEQ’s boil water guidance for statewide information.
While a boil water notice is in effect:
- Bring tap water to a vigorous rolling boil for two minutes, then let it cool before using it.
- Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, preparing infant formula, washing produce, and giving water to pets.
- Throw away ice made with tap water.
- Boil tap water even if it has passed through a household filter.
- Avoid swallowing water while bathing. Consider sponge baths for babies and young children.
- Continue following the notice until your water provider announces that it has been lifted.