Houston Public Works leaders are calling for funding to repair and replace the city’s aging water plant.
In a tour of the East Water Treatment Plant with reporters, Deputy Director Greg Eyerly revealed serious infrastructure problems like cracked walls and leaks.
Eyerly suggested the best course of action would be to build a new facility because the cost of repairing the 70-year-old plant would be almost the same.
HPW warned of potential boil warnings and water outages, as the risk of catastrophic failure at the water plant grows.
City officials say the work will require funding from the federal, state, and city governments. The city has identified a location next to the original facility to build its replacement.
Eyerly said $15 billion is needed for the greater Houston area’s water and wastewater treatment over the next decade and a half.
He estimates building a new water plant would take nine years. The city will have to maintain the existing infrastructure while a new facility is built.
When asked what repairs were on his list for the existing plant, Eyerly said, “The list is the entire plant.”
“A lot of people ask why you don’t just rehab the plant you have. Parts of this plant are really beyond that point,” Eyerly continued.
“This plant right here feeds the heart of Houston. If we have a catastrophic failure of our system, that impacts oil production, the medical center, the port. That’s an impact that’s going to be felt nationwide,” Eyerly told KHOU 11.
Following a Texas Supreme Court ruling that denied Houston’s appeal of a decision ordering the city to spend $100 million on water drainage, City Controller Chris Hollins warned he would not be able to certify the 2026 budget without significant cuts or revenue increases.
Houston is currently facing a deficit of more than $200 million. Harris County also recently revealed a shortfall of $120 million for active water drainage projects.
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