HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — On Wednesday morning, a damaged fire hydrant at the intersection of Bissonnet and Morningside caused significant water leakage, slowing traffic and disrupting a nearby daycare drop-off.
Lileana Pearson was on the scene as parents navigated the waterlogged area, which resembled a river. The hydrant had sunk into the ground, causing water to flow down the road.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Rusty Humble, who was dropping off his daughter at daycare.
Concerns over public water infrastructure and repairs have been heightened, especially after a Houston Public Works employee was found to be receiving kickbacks from contractors, raising fears that some repairs might have been poorly executed.
“It got pretty nasty with all the water,” Humble commented.
Water line breaks are common in Houston. Last week, Public Works reported over 1,000 work requests for water line issues. Humble expressed concern about how long it would take to fix the break at Bissonnet and Morningside.
Despite the reduction from 1,553 requests in February, 311 data shows a rise in water leak service requests. Over the past year, 311 received 44,353 water leak service requests, up from 35,756 the previous year. In the last month alone, there have been 6,670 reports, compared to 5,088 at the same time last year.
“I’m worried it will still be like this when I come home tonight, but at least I know to park and walk,” Humble said.
The water break affected daycare drop-off, forcing Humble to park in a nearby neighborhood and carry his daughter through the waterlogged area.
“My daughter saw the water and wanted to splash in the puddles, but I told her not to. She’s 3, so she’ll be alright,” Humble added.
A nearby restaurant owner mentioned that a police officer asked her to check her cameras to see if a car had hit the hydrant, but no such incident was captured on video.
The break had been active since at least 3:30 a.m. contacted Public Works for a repair timeline, and they responded:
“Houston Public Works (HPW) is committed to repairing every water leak. A Houston Water inspector verified a major leak due to a knocked-down fire hydrant at Bissonnet and Morningside at 8 a.m. Repairs are expected to take several hours.
HPW measures open work orders for repairs, which include more than just water leaks. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 open work orders, down from a high of 1,553 on February 25, 2024. Our team is working hard to stabilize the leak repair program, improve repair response times, and restore impacted areas. Please encourage the community to report water leaks to 311 and to contact 311 again if the leak worsens.”
As summer approaches, HPW is racing to repair leaks. For a couple in the Heights, the work hasn’t been fast enough. Renting a condo with a driveway has become problematic due to a water leak reported to 311 six months ago. Despite initial repairs in February, the leak persisted, affecting their water bill, which now stands at $1,500.
Public Works about this issue, and they were told that crews are working to identify the leak, with repairs expected by the end of the week.
Public Works said that recent rainfall has helped keep the ground stable, which is beneficial for infrastructure. A new city dashboard is being developed to track water leaks, showing daily leaks and repair statuses. While this dashboard was presented to city council members in April, it is not yet live.
If you notice a leak, Public Works advises contacting 311 and reaching out again if the situation worsens.
