Neighborhood sees nearly a dozen water main breaks in 6 months
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Last week, News 4 talked to neighbors in the Copper Creek area who had been dealing with multiple water main breaks for weeks. There are new developments after News 4 obtained records that show how many breaks the neighborhood has seen in six months.
"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, a concerned neighbor.
Jeff Overstreet has seen it time and time again with water main breaks in the Copper Creek neighborhood.
Neighbors said they've seen multiple breaks in the last six weeks and they don't understand why.
"As a taxpayer, I mean, we're paying for all of this right here. So you would think they would all eliminate that and fix the problem. Instead, just put a band-aid on it," said Overstreet.
News 4 filed an open records request to get more details. The documents confirm the neighborhood has seen 23 breaks since November—six of those happened in April.
The city sent a statement last week in response to the breaks and leaks from our first story.
Maintaining and repairing water and sewer lines is a core part of our operations. We manage a vast underground pipeline system, more than 7,000 miles in total, that serves hundreds of thousands of customers, and leaks and breaks are an unavoidable part of that. Most of those issues are caused by a combination of factors, including the age of the pipes, shifting ground from weather changes, and Oklahoma's highly corrosive soil within certain areas of the city, which causes the pipe material to deteriorate over time. Our crews work as quickly and safely as possible to prioritize and complete repairs, often balancing dozens of jobs at a time based on severity, public safety, and service impact. We’ve had a long-term plan in place to address these challenges by replacing aging lines with pipe that is more durable and resistant to the corrosive soil conditions in our area.
City of Oklahoma City Utilities Department
Though, neighbors still have unanswered questions.
"We'll wake up and we won't have any water. It's just getting old, and we just need a little help.
Neighbors also thought it may have been a water pressure issue after they were told by a worker that their pressure was too high.
News 4 followed up with the city Tuesday morning about the 23 breaks. They sent a follow up statement:
We empathize with all customers who experience leaks, breaks, and disruptions to their Utilities service. As mentioned previously, Oklahoma City maintains a vast underground pipeline system, and that requires us to prioritize repair and replacement needs strategically.
Each year, a portion of our Utilities Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget is allocated to water line replacements. In the recent past, that budget has been roughly $10 million. However, moving into Fiscal Year 2026, which starts July 1, 2025, we have doubled that budget to approximately $20 million to accommodate a more aggressive replacement plan. Based on the allocated budget, our engineering team evaluates line segments across Oklahoma City's 600+ square miles using a data-driven approach that considers a variety of risk and performance factors.
Portions of the Copper Creek neighborhood were recently reviewed as part of this evaluation. However, when weighed against system needs in other parts of the city, those line segments did not rank as high for immediate replacement. Our long-term plan focuses on consistent, proactive replacement rather than reactive patchwork, which allows us to make steady, systemwide progress. That said, the CIP is designed with flexibility, and projects can be reprioritized if conditions in a particular area significantly change.
What this means in practical terms is that the neighborhood could see segments replaced sooner if conditions warrant it, but at this time, we are looking at including parts of the neighborhood into our replacement plan beginning in Fiscal Year 2027, which starts July 1, 2026.
Regarding the crew member’s comments about high pressure, that is not a factor contributing to issues in this neighborhood’s water lines. Water leaves our Hefner Water Treatment Plant—which serves the Copper Creek area—at an average pressure of 88 psi. While pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the system due to changes in elevation, our water lines are designed to withstand pressures between 150 and 200 psi. We will follow up with our Line Maintenance crews to ensure they are aware of this aspect of the system and can accurately communicate it to customers moving forward.
City of Oklahoma City Utilities Department