Houston school says plumbing woes stem from water company

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A dispute between an utility company and state regulators has created an embarrassing issue at a north Harris County school.

YES Prep administrators at the North Central Campus told Eyewitness News often no water flows from the faucets. They insisted last week three times there was no water, and last year it happened 30 times.

School director Michelle LaFlure blamed the water company, Suburban Utility, for the gross inconvenience. LaFlure explained despite complaints, they continue to experience problems - so much so, staff often must manually flush toilets with water buckets.

"In in this world, in 2014 ... we should not be a school battling with basic needs such as water," said LaFlure. "Last year, we lost water on campus 30 times. This year, we've lost water 4 times. Then 3 days in a row last week ... There's roughly a 1000 people using the same facilities. We hand flush all of the toilets and make sure there is drinking water for students and staff."

Calls to Suburban Utility went unreturned. Eyewitness News did reach the company's attorney Les Romo by phone. Romo would not comment officially with a statement. He did stress they're working on finding a solution and said there's an infrastructure problem in the area. Romo also told us there is an ongoing dispute over who should pay for upgrades, stalling any action. He went on to say, recent requests to impose surcharges were denied.

Students at the charter school just want a fix and soon.

"It's very embarrassing," said senior Martin Montes. "This is something no children or adults should be facing."