Arlington Water Saves Money Replacing Century-Old Main in Downtown

Published on September 16, 2025

By Arlington Water Utilities 

Arlington Water Utilities has nearly finished replacing almost a mile of downtown water distribution mains, one section of which had been in service for over 100 years.

The work began after a private contractor damaged an existing water main on North Mesquite Street in early 2025. The ensuing repair call revealed that a 1½-inch in diameter cast-iron water main put in service during the Woodrow Wilson presidential administration was in dire need of replacement. Besides its age, the line was undersized by modern standards, which is a common problem with water mains in the downtown area. Cast iron mains are also more prone to breaking, causing water service disruptions for Downtown Arlington businesses and homes.

The water department’s civil engineers and in-house Capital Improvement Projects, or CIP, field operations crew put together a plan for replacing not only the Mesquite Street main but a total of 4,710 linear feet of water mains throughout Downtown. Also included in the project are portions of North West Street, West Front Street, North Oak Street, North Pecan Street, and East Division Street. 

Construction started in April and all of the new 6-inch, 8-inch, and 12-inch-diameter water mains will be in service by 2026. That relatively quick turnaround is only possible because of the expertise and structure of the Arlington teams.

“We have the in-house design and the in-house construction crews that a lot of cities don’t have that,” said Angelo Dupont, Arlington Water Utilities Field Operations Sector Manager. He added that bidding out and awarding a design contract could have delayed the project by months and significantly increased the cost of the project. The CIP crew also uses trenchless main replacement techniques that are cost-effective, timely, and less disruptive than traditional open-cut methods that involve digging long trenches.

John Morgan, Arlington Water Utilities Senior Engineer - In-House Design, designs at least 30,000 linear feet of water and sewer infrastructure each year.

“We can identify it, and then, he’ll design it and put it in the can," Dupont said of Morgan. "We’ll do it when we can get to it.”

Morgan’s work helps the department respond quickly to complete small-scale projects that can solve persistent problems. Designing these projects in-house also saves the City more than $500,000 per year, when compared to design services by consultants.