What is supposed to be a quiet Southwest Houston backyard has turned into a foul-smelling mess, with a family's lawn flooded by raw sewage for weeks. The stench is so overpowering that the family says they sleep with candles burning just to mask the odor, and children and dogs are banned from the yard. Sewage has reportedly run off into neighboring properties and into the street, leaving the family feeling like they are "living a nightmare" while they wait for a permanent fix.
According to KHOU, homeowner Jessica Portillo started reporting the backups through the city's 311 system, only to discover that some of her tickets had been closed because a neighbor had already filed a similar complaint. A plumber who checked the property told the family the issue was coming from a city-operated sewer line, not their private plumbing. Houston Public Works then inspected the area and found a break in a sewer pipe just beyond a neighbor’s fence. While that damage sat unrepaired, the Portillos say sewage repeatedly backed up into their toilets and pooled across the yard for several weeks.
City response and repair timeline
In a statement to KHOU, a city spokesperson said that "a temporary solution has been in place while Houston Public Works prepares to fully address the sewer main serving the block." As part of that stopgap, the city installed a temporary bypass line that must be pumped out every day. Crews have been coming by twice daily to pump sewage from the cleanout to the nearest manhole. City staff told KHOU that work to replace the entire sewer main serving the block was expected to start on Monday.
How the city handles sewer problems
Houston Public Works explains that homeowners are responsible for issues on private service lines, while the city handles failures in the public collection system. The department notes that sanitary sewer overflows can contaminate yards and streets. Its Protect Our Pipes guidance walks residents through how to locate cleanouts and when it is time to call 311 to report a suspected overflow. Officials say that carefully documenting calls and response history can help neighbors push for a faster resolution when problems drag on.
311 demand complicates response
The city's 311 line is already stretched thin. The Houston Chronicle reported that in 2024, water leaks were the top category of 311 complaints in Houston, with tens of thousands of calls and a significant backlog of open work orders. Community advocates say that kind of volume can lead to temporary fixes and delays for residents who are dealing with sewage backing up into their homes and yards while they wait for full line replacements to be scheduled.
For now, the Portillo family is keeping their backyard completely off-limits and watching the clock as they wait for crews to begin the promised replacement work. They hope that once the sewer main is fully repaired, it will finally put an end to the weeks of raw sewage, overpowering odor, and the health risks they have been forced to live with.
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