OKC to fix water main breaks with stronger infrastructure plan
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — You've probably seen them while driving around Oklahoma City or while watching News 4's coverage. It's not your imagination, more water main breaks are happening across the metro. The city of Oklahoma City has also taken note.
"If you've been driving around the metro for any period of time this year, you've noticed some leaks or crews out working," said Jasmine Morris, with OKC Utilities. "We have to."
Morris said the city expects anywhere from 600 to 800 water main breaks a year.
During FY 2023, there were 591 water main breaks. FY 2024 saw 621. At the end of the FY 2025, which just wrapped up on June 30, there were 1,101.
"Much more than we were planning," said Morris.
It's something News 4 has reported on many times.
"Each time they're just coming out and fixing the break. And then the next week or a couple of days later, it's running right down the road or a couple of houses down or, or the next road up," said Jeff Overstreet, after multiple water main breaks happened along his street in Copper Creek. "You would think they would all eliminate that and fix the problem. instead, just put a Band-Aid on it."
Morris said it's not because of water pressure.
She said most of the breaks are happening in Northwest Oklahoma City, where water pressure is lower than other parts of the metro.
“In fact, average discharge pressure at our Hefner Water Treatment Plant— which serves the area of OKC with the most breaks —has gone down over time and currently runs around 88 psi. That’s well within regulatory standards and much lower than pressure levels at our Draper plant, which averages between 118 and 128 psi,” said Chris Browning, the Utilities Director for OKC.
The fault actually lies in old pipes and Oklahoma soil.
"Because of the nature of water lines it is so difficult to determine proactively when something's going to blow," said Morris.
The city said the breaks are happening in areas where ductile iron pipes were installed several decades ago. Those old pipes easily corrode with Oklahoma's red dirt. The clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Those factors result in a water main break.
"Because all of those factors have boiled up to the surface, over this past year, we had to put a long-term plan in place," said Morris.
Now the city is doubling its funding to fix the pipes.
$10 million will be bumped up to $20 million starting this fiscal year. Then, up to $30 million by 2027.
Morris said replacement plans are already in place.
"We look at all the factors and address the most severe places first," said Morris.
The city said the new investment to replace the old pipes won't impact customer's bills. Instead, it will be built into the city's financial plan.
The City of OKC's official press release can be found here.