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City staff: Murphy lost about 168 million gallons in 2025; 5,300 service lines targeted for replacement
Summary
Utility staff told the council the city recorded about 168,000,000 gallons of unaccounted-for water in 2025 (about 13%), outlined leak-reduction efforts and said a 5,300-service-line copper replacement project will go to bid soon.
City utility staff reported to the Murphy City Council that the city’s calculated unaccounted-for water loss for calendar year 2025 was about 168,000,000 gallons — roughly 13% of water pumped — a decline from previous years after changes in calculation methodology.
“So you can see that our complete 2025 water loss was a 168,000,000 gallons,” the presenter said while reviewing the annual figures and explaining that the city is now using the Texas Water Development Board method for consistent calculation. Staff attributed much of the change to improved leak repairs, closer coordination with the wholesale meter reader and a change to the TWDB calculation method.
Officials said the city recorded 40 leaks in 2025 (down from earlier counts across 2023–24), and staff described ongoing proactive leak-detection and customer-response procedures. The presenter said some leaks are later accounted for once crews estimate the volume lost and subtract it from the unaccounted-for total.
Staff also outlined a proposed copper service-line replacement program affecting about 5,300 service lines; officials said the project should go out for bid in late February or early March and could take several years from design through construction. “That’s about 5,300 service lines that we’re looking to replace,” the presenter said.
Council members asked about benchmarks and causes; staff said the TWDB’s 'gold standard' goal is 10% or less water loss and that anything under 15% is generally considered acceptable. Staff said the city’s mainline infrastructure is in good condition and that most leaks occur on service lines. A formal project timeline for design and phased construction was described as contingent on engineering work and funding decisions.
