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What this is
A monthly public report tracking the City of Houston's progress on sewer system improvements.
Bayou City Waterkeeper created a tool called the Monthly Poo Report to watch how well Houston is fixing its sewage system problems. The organization tracks sanitary sewer overflows, situations where untreated or partially treated sewage gets released into local bayous, parks, and neighborhoods instead of going to treatment facilities. This happens when heavy rainstorms overwhelm the system or when equipment breaks down.
The Poo Report monitors the city's progress on meeting requirements from a major settlement. In 2021, after discovering thousands of illegal sewage releases, the organization pushed for accountability. A federal judge then ordered Houston to spend $2 billion fixing its sewage system over 15 years. The monthly report helps communities see whether this investment is actually reducing sewage overflows.
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Why does this matter? Sewage contamination harms public health and dirties local water. Importantly, the problem is not distributed equally. Neighborhoods with more Black, Brown, and low-income residents experience more overflows. By tracking and sharing this data publicly, Bayou City Waterkeeper gives communities the information they need to hold their city accountable for cleaner water.
About Bayou City Waterkeeper
Monitors and advocates for swimmable, fishable, drinkable waterways across the Houston region through science and community action.
Visit website →Where it reaches
- Neighborhood
- In Downtown
- District
- City Council · District I
- Phone
- (713) 364-6323
This and 7 more nearby in Our Environment — tap a dot to open it.
Why it matters
This is part of Our Environment — environment, climate, and the land we share.
How to dig in
- 1Start with the snapshot above to know what this is in a glance.
- 2Read through to understand how it connects to the bigger picture.
- 3Read the report using the button above.
When you call, you can say: “Hi, I saw "Poo Report: Monthly Sewage Compliance Monitoring" on Community Exchange and want to know how to take part.”
Connections
1 connection — tap a node to open it.
By the numbers
Connections1
Nearby in Our Environment7
NeighborhoodDowntown
Led byBayou City Waterkeeper
Counted from the Community Exchange connection graph.