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Sewage problems overtake local neighborhoods after storm
  
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By JENNIFER SUMMER
The air stunk of raw sewage and parts of the lawn near the manhole were dead.
Two weeks after the arrival of Hurricane Ike and just a day after receiving power back at their homes, Woodstream subdivision residents watched helplessly as geysers of sewage water spouted from manholes along Scenic Woods Drive in Kingwood.
“It started before the storm and continued throughout the storm - sewage water spilling through yards and into the street - it is very nasty and smelly,” resident Mike Kang, whose side yard had two manholes surrounded by white sediment-filled grass, said
Many of the manholes along the street bubbled over with sewage water associated with the loss of power at the lift station that controls the water supply for Woodstream.
Additionally, there were numerous reports throughout the community of sewage problems from low water pressure to brown water and even sewage bubbling out of manholes in the Fosters Mill and Sand Creek subdivisions.
“We have received several calls about sewage, which is normal for some areas when the power goes out,” City of Houston Public Works spokesman Alvin Wright said. “When the power goes out, we send generators to several of the lift stations to get the lift pumps working again and we have been diligently working with CenterPoint to restore power to the water pumps as soon as possible.”
Wright commented that every sewage lift pump was affected by Hurricane Ike in some way and even municipal utility districts suffered issues with the power outages at lift pump stations that control wastewater.
The lift pump station works to move sewage from homes in the neighborhood to the treatment plants and when they do not have power, they do not work.
When the power is off, the pump cannot run without the help of a generator.
“CenterPoint crews have been moving from lift station to lift station with a generator and pumping that particular lift station until it is clean, then they move to the next one,” Wright said.
But for Woodstream residents, this is not the first time they have experienced sewage problems. They have been fighting this battle since 1998 and have not seen any solutions to the problem.
In front of Joe and Beth Veatch’s home, a stream of sewage water runs along their front walkway and into the drains after a hard rain or the power goes out.
Throughout the storm and after the storm, residents along Scenic Woods could not open their windows facing the street because of the stench from the manholes and the street.
“We have six manhole covers on our street that the water boils out of and if we do not pull the clean-out plug on the manhole cover in our yard, it will overflow in the house,” Joe said. “This is a long, ongoing problem that we have had but we cannot find anyone interested in helping us with our problem.”
The Veatches have struggled with their sewage problem for eight years and it seems to occur when the lift station loses power or the pump shuts down, causing a backup and letting the sewage flow out of the manholes.
“Any kind of raw sewage is unacceptable. I have called 311, Severn Trent and pretty much anyone else I can think of to find a remedy to this problem,” Joe explained. “We have been told we are the lowest point of water collection and it all runs downhill toward our property, sometimes overloading the pumps and causing problems.”
Joe and Beth along with their neighbors to the right and left know there is about to be a sewage problem when they can hear the drains in the sinks and tubs start gurgling.
Their neighbors did not remove their clean-out plug as the Veatches did a few years ago, causing the sewage to bubble up through drains in the bathtubs and spill on the carpet.
“What we are the most concerned about is sewage spilling in our yards and going into the drains, which leads to places like Lake Houston and the San Jacinto River, affecting others downstream,” neighbor Shelley Williams said.
Houston Councilman Mike Sullivan rode along with Severn Trent days after the storm to check on water plants and lift pumps to survey how they were performing and to see if there were any shortfalls. He also said he made daily trips and wrote a daily report about the water system and other issues affecting the community.
“We are fully aware of sewage problems in the community and I have been working with Severn Trent since before the storm to make sure we could anticipate any problems we might have during and after Hurricane Ike,” Sullivan said.
“This is unacceptable for the community and after everything settles down, it is our highest priority to figure out what the problem is and how we can fix it. Trust me, we will get some answers.”
Houston’s Public Works Department urges residents, if they see sewage spilling from a manhole in their yard or in the gutters that run into the storm drain, to keep children and pets away from the water and if it gets on any skin or clothing, wash it off immediately.
“It is a terrible problem to have and we have dealt with this for awhile. We just want a permanent fix to this problem,” Joe Veatch said while looking at the manhole in his yard. “It’s bad; we just need some help.”
Two weeks after the arrival of Hurricane Ike and just a day after receiving power back at their homes, Woodstream subdivision residents watched helplessly as geysers of sewage water spouted from manholes along Scenic Woods Drive in Kingwood.
“It started before the storm and continued throughout the storm - sewage water spilling through yards and into the street - it is very nasty and smelly,” resident Mike Kang, whose side yard had two manholes surrounded by white sediment-filled grass, said
Many of the manholes along the street bubbled over with sewage water associated with the loss of power at the lift station that controls the water supply for Woodstream.
Additionally, there were numerous reports throughout the community of sewage problems from low water pressure to brown water and even sewage bubbling out of manholes in the Fosters Mill and Sand Creek subdivisions.
“We have received several calls about sewage, which is normal for some areas when the power goes out,” City of Houston Public Works spokesman Alvin Wright said. “When the power goes out, we send generators to several of the lift stations to get the lift pumps working again and we have been diligently working with CenterPoint to restore power to the water pumps as soon as possible.”
Wright commented that every sewage lift pump was affected by Hurricane Ike in some way and even municipal utility districts suffered issues with the power outages at lift pump stations that control wastewater.
The lift pump station works to move sewage from homes in the neighborhood to the treatment plants and when they do not have power, they do not work.
When the power is off, the pump cannot run without the help of a generator.
“CenterPoint crews have been moving from lift station to lift station with a generator and pumping that particular lift station until it is clean, then they move to the next one,” Wright said.
But for Woodstream residents, this is not the first time they have experienced sewage problems. They have been fighting this battle since 1998 and have not seen any solutions to the problem.
In front of Joe and Beth Veatch’s home, a stream of sewage water runs along their front walkway and into the drains after a hard rain or the power goes out.
Throughout the storm and after the storm, residents along Scenic Woods could not open their windows facing the street because of the stench from the manholes and the street.
“We have six manhole covers on our street that the water boils out of and if we do not pull the clean-out plug on the manhole cover in our yard, it will overflow in the house,” Joe said. “This is a long, ongoing problem that we have had but we cannot find anyone interested in helping us with our problem.”
The Veatches have struggled with their sewage problem for eight years and it seems to occur when the lift station loses power or the pump shuts down, causing a backup and letting the sewage flow out of the manholes.
“Any kind of raw sewage is unacceptable. I have called 311, Severn Trent and pretty much anyone else I can think of to find a remedy to this problem,” Joe explained. “We have been told we are the lowest point of water collection and it all runs downhill toward our property, sometimes overloading the pumps and causing problems.”
Joe and Beth along with their neighbors to the right and left know there is about to be a sewage problem when they can hear the drains in the sinks and tubs start gurgling.
Their neighbors did not remove their clean-out plug as the Veatches did a few years ago, causing the sewage to bubble up through drains in the bathtubs and spill on the carpet.
“What we are the most concerned about is sewage spilling in our yards and going into the drains, which leads to places like Lake Houston and the San Jacinto River, affecting others downstream,” neighbor Shelley Williams said.
Houston Councilman Mike Sullivan rode along with Severn Trent days after the storm to check on water plants and lift pumps to survey how they were performing and to see if there were any shortfalls. He also said he made daily trips and wrote a daily report about the water system and other issues affecting the community.
“We are fully aware of sewage problems in the community and I have been working with Severn Trent since before the storm to make sure we could anticipate any problems we might have during and after Hurricane Ike,” Sullivan said.
“This is unacceptable for the community and after everything settles down, it is our highest priority to figure out what the problem is and how we can fix it. Trust me, we will get some answers.”
Houston’s Public Works Department urges residents, if they see sewage spilling from a manhole in their yard or in the gutters that run into the storm drain, to keep children and pets away from the water and if it gets on any skin or clothing, wash it off immediately.
“It is a terrible problem to have and we have dealt with this for awhile. We just want a permanent fix to this problem,” Joe Veatch said while looking at the manhole in his yard. “It’s bad; we just need some help.”
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