City stops by Houston woman's home hours after Action 13 steps in: 'I just want to thank you'
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Action 13 is getting results for you, Houston.
Just hours after ABC13 introduced you to an Independence Heights woman who called us about a $400 water bill, the city sent someone from the water department to her house.
We sat down with Dougles Louise Gordan Cooper for about an hour on Thursday. After our conversation, she went to run a few errands.
"I went to Whole Foods, and I got me a thing of fresh crab paws. I wanted the dark meat. I made it and put it all together. It's good," Gordan Cooper said.
Lo and behold, when she got back home, a Houston Public Works truck was parked next to her meter.
"The water company. The city was sitting right there!" Gordan Cooper said.
Then, early Friday morning, the same public works employee was back with some good news.
SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Action 13: Independence Heights woman seeks answers after water bill unexpectedly quadruples
"They said something was wrong, and they were upgrading my meter," Gordan Cooper said.
Eyewitness News contacted Houston Public Works on Thursday to let them know Ms. Gordan Cooper was having a $400 water bill. ABC13 was told they'd look into it and followed up again on Friday.
On Tuesday, ABC13 received a response from Houston Public Works, four days after our initial request, to let us know the issue stemmed from the Remote Reading Device (RRD).
Houston Public Works said it upgraded the RRD, which is a device attached to a meter that transmits readings.
"Her meter is working properly. Our Utility Billing team found water usage between midnight and 8 am," the department said in a statement.
"They need to do it, and if they don't adjust it, I'm going to tell you," Gordan Cooper said before ABC13 received the city's response.
After being told she needs to pay or her water will be shut off, it's a positive first step for this Independence Heights woman.
"I just want to thank you. I just can't believe how fast all of this has taken place," Gordan Cooper said.
An open records request was submitted with the city to see how many water bills have been adjusted under Houston Mayor John Whitmire and his push to fix the water system versus previous years.
An open records request can take up to 10 days to come back.
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