Plumbing problems are a common issue on campus these days. It is not surprising to see towels shoved under doors, signs saying “Out of Service” and hallways smelling of toilet water.

When the plumbing issues started three months ago, the school worked with the district to identify and try to solve the problem. They cleaned out the school pipes, but realized it was not resolving the issue. They determined the problem was in the nearby water lines of the city.

Now, the school is working with the City of Houston under the belief that the issue involves their water lines. 

“We want it to get fixed as soon as possible, but welcome to the real world,” principal Wes Solomon said. “You’ve got to wait until you get all these different agencies out that’ll come and do that.”

On Monday afternoon – the most recent day the bathrooms flooded, the City of Houston flushed the water lines. Solomon hopes that resolves the issue for the sake of everyone on campus, especially the custodians. 

The flooding in the bathrooms has taken an extra toll on the custodians.

With three or four custodians on duty during the day, a bathroom flood will typically take an hour to an hour and a half to clean. This time can increase depending on when the plumber arrives, as well as if the overflow happens during the custodians’ busiest times, like lunch.

“[Last week] it happened, but it happened after school,” head custodian Carmen Lemus said. “It was easy to clean up.” 

Lemus said it’s much harder during the school day, especially during Flex Hour. Recently, Lemus and another custodian had to pivot to work on the bathrooms, leaving only one custodian to clean the cafeteria – a job the group usually tackles together. 

“[It’s] more work to do,” Lemus said. “We have to stop doing whatever we have been doing when they report we have a bathroom problem.”