In Fort Worth, the process of replacing cast iron water pipes will not be cheap and it will not be quick.
Mary Gugliuzza with the Fort Worth Water Department said cast iron pipes are the culprit in the vast majority of water main breaks in the city.
"Over 80% of our breaks every year are in cast iron lines," Gugliuzza said, "so that can help us in reducing water loss."
Especially in light of what happened during the arctic blast of 2021, the city is in the process of replacing all of its cast iron pipes.
Needless to say, the work will not get done overnight.
"We have about 800 miles of cast iron water mains in our system," said Gugliuzza, "so it's going to take decades to replace those lines."
Gugliuzza said with about 800 miles of cast iron pipes throughout the system, it will take decades to complete the job.
Currently, the city is investing $227 million over five years for the project.
Gugliuzza said the overall cost will be a lot more.
"The current estimate is about $1.5 billion to do those replacements," Gugliuzza said, "but those costs do continually change. And so who knows what the ultimate costs will be decades from now."
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