City of Austin pipes leaked 9.3 billion gallons in 2024

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One misstep by a contractor last September cracked a 48-inch water main in northwest Austin, launching a geyser 50 feet over treetops and draining more than 16 million gallons of treated water into a ravine.

It was enough to fill 24 Olympic swimming pools, but compared to how much water the city lost last year to leaky pipes, it was just a proverbial drop in the bucket.

In 2024, city-owned pipes seeped and spewed 9.3 billion gallons of treated water – a 31% increase over the previous year...