HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Some northwest Houston neighbors spent weeks wondering what would happen if a fire broke out on their street after a damaged hydrant leaked.<\/p>\n
For nearly a month, neighbors in the 1900 block of Althea Drive have dealt with running water coming from a leaky hydrant.<\/p>\n
“It feels like the norm now,” Brendan McLaughlin said. “Every day we pull in the driveway and Mister Gusher is still going.”<\/p>\n
On Dec. 8, McLaughlin said the water started flowing after he said a truck hit a hydrant.<\/p>\n
“Two, three hours later, I was leaving, and saw the water was gushing out of the fire hydrant,” McLaughlin recalled. “We put the report in right away, and it’s been almost a month.”<\/p>\n
He said a blue flag for the city of Houston was added after he reported the leak. McLaughlin said not much happened after that.<\/p>\n
“They come by every two days or so, and sit in their car, and look at it,” McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n
McLaughlin isn’t the only one who made a 311 complaint. Records show 11 complaints were filed with the city.<\/p>\n
With the water still running, neighbors contacted ABC13. Hours after ABC13 crews started asking questions, public works crews showed up.<\/p>\n
They shut off the water, removed the hydrant, and worked on repairs. A leak that worried McLaughlin because he wasn’t sure how it would impact firefighters.<\/p>\n
“There’s a major concern if there’s a fire,” McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t just neighbors taking note, a HFD spokesperson says firefighters did as well. They marked the hydrant as needing repair. Fire Chief Thomas Munoz sent ABC13 a statement.<\/p>\n
“HFD is responsible for inspecting more than 50,000 hydrants each year to ensure they can meet our needs and protect the public and property during emergencies. This hydrant was inspected as part of routine maintenance in August. Sometime after that, a resident notified our members that it was leaking. Houston Public Works has been notified of the leak, and it is scheduled for repair. To my knowledge, this hydrant’s performance has not impacted our ability to safely respond to this neighborhood. “Our training prepares us to stay flexible and have multiple plans to establish a water supply should we encounter a challenge. HFD continues to work with HPW to ensure the safety of residents and our firefighters.”<\/p>\n
Some East Houston neighbors also spent weeks waiting for repairs. Two months ago, they reported a leak that continued to send water down the drain.<\/p>\n
After Action 13 contacted the city on Monday, the repair was completed the next day. 311 data shows more than 35,000 water leak complaints were made in the past year. A number that’s fallen by about 400 from the year before.<\/p>\n
This summer, public works officials told the council that fixing leaks can be a challenge due to the volume they’re dealing with, aging infrastructure, and a lack of skilled workers.<\/p>\n
A city spokesperson told ABC13 leaks are repaired based on priority, with emergencies going first. Officials didn’t tell ABC13 why the leaky hydrant wasn’t repaired prior to Tuesday.<\/p>\n
For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n