Whitehouse council directs staff to design street upgrades after residents describe sewage backups, flooding on Dews Drive

Residents from Dews Drive told the Whitehouse City Council on May 27 that recurring flooding and a grease-clogged sewer main have caused raw sewage to bubble into yards and, in one case, to enter a home.

The council voted to direct staff to prepare a design and cost proposal for widening Dews Drive to standard city specifications — including curb, gutter and reclaiming the existing north-side ditch — and to negotiate options with property owners, including the possible purchase of one parcel, if necessary.

The discussion matters to the block’s homeowners because several residents said the existing roadside ditch no longer functions reliably after nearby development altered runoff patterns. “I walked in house and had a foul odor of raw sewage,” said DeMarcus Hawkins, who gave his address as 107 Dews Drive. He described sewage bubbling across his back yard and asked why he had been told the cleanup was his responsibility, noting that the overflowing pipe runs under his…