City staff reports 19% water loss; recommends replacing roughly 5,350 copper service lines

City staff presented a water-loss update on Nov. 18, reporting that the Hawthorne Pump Station pumped about 1.487 billion gallons in 2024 and that total accounted-for consumption was roughly 1.2 billion gallons, leaving about 285,000,000 gallons unaccounted for — approximately 19% of pumped volume.

"So that's 19%. And that is that is high," Mr. Reese said, describing the city's methodology and noting the Texas Water Development Board method was used for the recent estimates. He told council the acceptable standard is about 15% and that anything under 10% is considered the gold standard.

Staff traced much of the discrepancy to inconsistent historical calculation methods and to aging copper service lines that can develop pinhole leaks over long periods. Mr. Reese recommended replacing about 5,350 remaining copper service lines with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which he said resists corrosion and is more flexible for ground movement. He said the project was in design, that bid documents would be advertised in February, and that construction could begin roughly 90 days after advertisement, depending on procurement.

Councilors asked about leak-detection methods, including pressure testing and acoustic (Doppler) devices, and about whether private sprinkler systems contribute to unaccounted-for loss. Mr. Reese said many private sprinklers are metered and captured in usage figures, and that while mains show few recorded leaks in work orders, service lines appear to be the primary remaining source. He said reactive leak responses target investigation within 24 hours and repair within 48 hours when feasible.

Staff committed to providing quarterly updates on water-loss metrics as the replacement program progresses.