HOUSTON — Some residents in Kingwood aren’t just dealing with the power issues after Hurricane Beryl. They also have issues with sewage.
Residents told us they have no power and can’t use their restrooms in their own home. One neighbor contacted us angry, saying the city hasn’t done anything
Picket Warton and his wife have sewage flowing in their backyard. Sometimes, they say it even gets into their home.
“The power to the sanitary sewer lift station goes down, and so the sewer backs up the system,” Warton siad.
He’s not the only one. His neighbor, Derek Veatch, said he has sewer flowing into both his backyard and his front yard.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” he said. “Every time the power goes out, we have this. Everyone’s sewer from around the whole area, toilet paper, everything. It smells horrible.”
The smell is so strong that many people can’t stand being there.
“The smell is pretty bad,” Veatch said. “My neighbors left yesterday. They couldn’t handle the smell.”
Residents there tell us they’re tired of contacting the city, asking for a generator at the plant.
“We have contacted city council members over the years to try to get something done and they’ve always told us that it’s too expensive,” Warton said.
Every time a bad storm happens, they call again hoping the city will do something soon.
“We spend thousands of dollars on taxes and this is what I’ve got to deal with,” Veatch said.
“Nobody should have to live like that,” said Warton. “You are worried every time it rains, the power goes out, you’re going to have sewer in your backyard. Who lives like that?”
We did reach out to the city public works department. They tell us they are sending cleaning trucks to help with the wastewater. They also have a roving generator going to various lift stations because they don’t have enough for the city.
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