Five years into the City of Houston’s $9 billion agreement to fix our aging sewer system, known as the 2021 Wastewater Consent Decree, we still do not have a clear picture of whether this massive investment is working for our communities and Houston remains as one of the most vulnerable sewer systems in the country.
On April 28, our team and community partners went to City Council to deliver a clear message: Houstonians deserve transparency, accountability, and real results from our infrastructure investments.
What Happened at Houston City Council?
At the public session on April 28, our team stood before the City Council to present our expert’s findings and call for urgent oversight. Our advocates laid out exactly what is at stake for public health and the financial security of our residents and our city:
- Guadalupe Fernandez (Policy Strategy Director) urged the council to hold the line on accountability, noting that the last public update from Public Works was in August 2024. She stressed that deferred maintenance is the most expensive way to run a utility.
- Kristen Schlemmer (Co-Executive Director, Legal Director) presented the findings of our independent engineer, highlighting the delays in capacity remedial measures and warning that the city is currently on track to miss key 2031 deadlines, already having asked the EPA to push back priority work to 2036.
- Danielle Newton (Communications and Design Specialist) presented our updated data analysis showing how sewage overflows and private service line failures are concentrated in specific districts, particularly Districts B, D, F, H, and I.
- Usman Mahmood (Senior Policy Analyst) spoke to the critical need for aggressive pursuit of federal and state funding and financial prudence so that this massive overhaul does not burden our most vulnerable residents.
- Steph Valdez (Water Justice Organizer from our partner organization CEER) joined the call for community-centered oversight.
Check Out Our Expert Data
For a full breakdown of the independent engineer’s memo, the data maps, and the coverage, explore our resources:
- Read Our Consent Decree Summary Brief
- View Our Analysis of Sewer Overflow Data
- Check out Our Justice in the Sewers Hub
- Read the coverage in the Houston Chronicle and Hoodline
What’s Next
As we move through budget season and look ahead, BCWK is keeping a close eye on the city’s next steps to ensure transparency and accountability. Here is what we are monitoring in the months ahead:
- Monitoring the Next Annual Compliance Report: We will be scrutinizing the city’s next annual report this fall to understand the City of Houston’s overall progress and see whether the City of Houston takes steps to remedy its data transparency gap and provide the public with verifiable completion dates.
- Pushing for Real Action: We are continuing our push for a dedicated Private Sewer Lateral (PSL) fund to help low-income homeowners make necessary plumbing repairs without bearing the brunt of rising utility fees.
- City Council Budget Oversight: We will be looking to our City Council members to ask tough questions of Public Works, ensuring that the necessary resources are deployed directly toward the neighborhoods hit hardest by sewage overflows. Follow our friends at Houston People’s Budget to get involved in Houston’s FY 27 Budget process.
Bayou City Waterkeeper protects the waters and people of the greater Houston region through bold legal action, community science, and creative, grassroots policy to further justice, health, and safety for our region. For questions about our policy work, please contact Guadalupe Fernandez at guadalupe@bayoucitywaterkeeper.org.