New York City's water mains broke 618 times in FY 2026, or 8.7 times per 100 miles of main, up from 359 breaks in FY 2024. Over the same period the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been replacing far fewer miles of pipe: about 13 miles in FY 2025, against 92.6 miles in the FY 2018 reporting year.
A renewal rate of 0.19%
DEP's distribution network runs to about 7,000 miles. At 13 miles a year, the City renews about 0.19% of its mains annually. In its FY 2018 report, the system's consulting engineer described 62.5 miles as "close to a 1% annual replacement rate". After peaking at 92.6 miles in the FY 2018 reporting year, replacement fell every year: 83 miles, 54.8, 38.7, 22, 18, 17 and 13 in FY 2025.
Two high years in a row
Breaks ranged between 359 and 520 a year from FY 2017 to FY 2024. They reached 552 in FY 2025 and 618 in FY 2026. The Mayor's Management Report places the FY 2026 totals among the highest DEP has seen and says most breaks happen in winter freeze-thaw cycles. Crews still restored water in an average of 3 hours 54 minutes in FY 2026.
Money planned, mileage not
The Commissioner's March 2026 testimony to the City Council allocates almost US$7 billion of the ten-year capital program to water mains and hydrants. The plans published so far set no annual replacement target in miles. Across all of DEP, FY 2026 capital commitments came to US$2,859.1 million, or 59.1% of the US$4,840.0 million plan.
The report places these pipes in the wider system: the reservoirs and aqueducts that feed them, the bodies that set DEP's obligations and rates, service results from water quality to billing, and the US$33.5 billion ten-year capital program. The full report, Water Systems Overview: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/water-systems-overview-new-york-city-department-of-environmental-protection. For a free overview, read the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/new-york-city-department-of-environmental-protection.