‘We’re talking about poop’: Houston neighborhoods face raw sewage problems, health risks from sewage spills

2 Investigates found Houston is grappling with a widespread problem of raw sewage flowing freely with every flush, creating a public health and environmental crisis in many neighborhoods.

“We’re talking about poop,” said Kristen Schlemmer, Senior Legal Director from Bayou City Waterkeepers, a nonprofit focused on clean water. “Sometimes treatment and collection don’t happen like it’s supposed to, and poop ends up in our bayous, but not just our bayous. We’ve seen it in elementary school playgrounds, parks, and even people’s homes.”

The presence of human feces in Houston’s waterways is a serious concern because it carries viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms that can make people sick. Many of Houston’s bayous are unsafe for swimming due to contamination from sewage spills.

In the Settegast neighborhood in northeast Houston, raw sewage problems are common and costly to fix. The Hogue family experienced severe plumbing issues that left them flushing toilets with buckets of water.

“We were asking for help and no one would give help,” said a family member.

The Northeast Action Collective, a small community group, helped the Hogues with a full home rehabilitation. However, the group cannot assist everyone, and the City of Houston currently offers no assistance program for sewage-related home repairs. Nearby Baytown does provide help for eligible residents, with information available on local websites.

According to Bayou City Waterkeepers, neighborhoods such as Denver Harbor, Sunnyside, and Southpark are among the worst affected by raw sewage releases at homes and businesses. In 2024, the group tracked 1,147 sewage spill incidents on private property, with a disproportionate number occurring in low-income areas.

“River Oaks isn’t having this issue,” said Joel Eisenbaum.

“We’re not seeing that issue in the data,” Schlemmer added.

Most sewage spills on private property result from accidents or failing old equipment.

However, some cases are criminal.

Harris County Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen, who leads one of Southeast Texas’s largest environmental crimes units, recalled a case in Baytown where a resident was funneling human feces to the front of his home after a septic tank filled up.

“We only have one earth. We’ve got to take care of it,” Rosen said. “We’re going to continue to do our job and enforce the law,” Constable Rosen said.

Recently, investigators found a stream of sewage and toilet paper draining in front of a Baytown home. The problem has since been fixed, but neighbors say the smell was unbearable.

“It would smell so bad, we would walk our dogs,” one resident said.

“Isn’t that a neighborhood ruiner when you smell poop while you’re walking your dogs?” Eisenbaum asked.

“Yes!” she said.

There are concerns that some sewage made its way to nearby Cedar Bayou, a waterway already listed by the state as polluted.

Last year, stretches of Cedar Bayou tested positive for bacteria, dioxins and PCBs.

Houston residents are urged to avoid skin contact with bayou water due to contamination risks. Despite being known as the Bayou City, many of Houston’s waterways remain unsafe for recreational use.

For more information on assistance programs for sewage-related home repairs, residents can visit local government websites.