Officials gave an update on McKinney’s water service line replacement project at a recent city council meeting.

The decade-long project was adopted by the city to replace copper water service lines with pipes made of polyethylene. Water service lines connect water mains to homes, explained Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham during the meeting.

According to Gillingham’s presentation, McKinney has over 67,000 water service lines, and about 37,000 are made of copper. Between 1997 and 2011, inferior copper was used in about 14,400 pipes, which resulted in leaks.

“The premature failure of the copper service lines is mainly due to the deterioration of substandard copper material and aggressive soil in the region, which contributes to the average monthly water loss of 23% McKinney experiences,” reads the city’s project website. “Any water loss in this line segments does not affect water usage billing for homeowners or businesses.”

In 2017, the city embarked on a plan to replace the 14,400 inferior pipes, with the goal of reducing “nonrevenue water” — the difference between what the city receives from its North Texas supplier and what it actually supplies to customers.

The $14 million project also aims to improve the quality of water and service.

Gillingham claimed crews are replacing an average of 1,200 service lines per year, and the project has already created a decrease in nonrevenue water. At present, just under 6,000 pipes still need to be replaced.

City staff have been using AI software to determine which streets and neighborhoods need replacement services.

“It’s really neat to see how our field staff is using technology to improve efficiency and cost for the city,” said Gillingham.

Streets that are scheduled to be serviced for the month of August include Catherine Street, Buchanan Street, Timothy Drive, and Jeanette Lane.

“Crews will work street by street throughout the city replacing service lines, taking approximately two weeks per street. Work will typically be conducted on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.” reads the city’s project website.

The project is expected to be finished by the year 2028.