HOUSTON, TX — The EPA is investigating Houston's sewers. Federal regulators have raised concerns about the Bayou City's water quality after recent rainstorms.
Houston's 6,700 miles of sewers overflow about 840 times per year, the Zip codes that have the highest percentage of overflows also happen to be the areas that have the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line and the greatest concentrations of blacks and Hispanics or Latinos.
The cost to repair the city's sewer system is about $5 billion, that doesn't include the $26 billion cost to improve the 2,500 miles of waterways needed to keep Houston above water.
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The city is in negotiations with the EPA to get a consent decree which would specify projects that would reduce overflows.
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