Houston leaders indicate they won’t implement new safety measures around bayous following string of deaths

Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media

Houston city officials appeared skeptical about the idea of implementing new safety protocols or infrastructure surrounding local bayous after five dead bodies were pulled from the waterways by police last week, even indicating that 2025 is on track to have fewer such deaths than years prior.

During a Houston City Council meeting on Wednesday, a Houston resident raised concerns about the bayou deaths, prompting several city council members to weigh in. They called the deaths tragic, but downplayed alarm. Council member Fred Flickinger called such deaths "a piece of society."

"Obviously, any unnatural death, whether it be murder or suicide, is a tragedy," Flickinger said. "Obviously, I’m grateful that it appears this year we’re going to have conside