Old pipes connected to Houston water woes Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 01:31 a.m., Monday, June 18, 2012 About 40 percent of the pipes supplying Houston's water are still in use years past their life expectancy with some dating back nearly a century to the era of the Ford Model T and 2-cent stamp.