Houston Public Works admits bribery scandal casting doubt on water main repair numbers last year

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — According to Houston Public Works, they felt victorious this time last year with water main breaks reduced to fewer than 100 across the city. However, as previously reported, that number has since increased.

From June 1 to September 30, 2023, the city received 19,170 calls about water leaks. After identifying which ones the department was responsible for, the city managed to repair over 4,200 within that period.

Concerns about leaks resurfaced this year after a bribery scheme involving water line repair contractors was exposed.

“Not knowing which repairs were good and which were bad means taxpayers will continue to pay for them,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said at a news conference on Friday.

In the same meeting, Houston Public Works informed that the city currently has over 1,000 work orders, a significant increase from the low number seen this time last year. These work orders range from water main breaks to fire hydrant issues.

“You expect good service from the government, and when the government ends up paying much more for much less, the public loses,” Ogg said.

Last year’s drought created conditions favorable for breaks, which Houston Public Works hopes to avoid this year. However, the impact of the bribery scheme could be felt for years to come.

“We’ll never fully understand how much the public was ripped off,” Ogg said.

With a better understanding of the scheme’s extent, Houston Public Works now questions the accuracy of last year’s reported low number of water main breaks, which was less than 100.

“How accurate were those numbers when they were reported to us in the first place?” Randy Mucchi of Houston Public Works asked.