Why do I have to pay a drainage charge?

• While the City of Houston devotes over $150 million annually to street and drainage capital projects, this is still insufficient to provide the needed improvements and maintenance to the city’s street and drainage infrastructure. With the passage of Proposition 1, the City is in the process of establishing a dedicated street and drainage fund that will help provide for the long-term needed improvements and continued maintenance of these important assets.

• The City of Houston has about 6,000 miles of streets, 3,300 miles of storm sewers and 2,800 miles of roadside ditches. At the current rate of rehabilitation/replacement of this vital infrastructure, it will take over 100 years to significantly impact all parts of these systems, well beyond their useful life.

• Drainage and Streets are cornerstones of our Public Safety, Quality of Life, and Economic Development.