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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Water main breaks happen all the time, and Colorado's roller-coaster weather doesn't help.

But don't expect to see more leaks, they're happening less than you might expect.

Water main breaks are caused by a number of things, and while age of the pipes sometimes plays a part, weather is a big factor.

"I can find leaks in every part of the town.  I can find leaks on pipe that's a year old, leaks on pipes that are 50 or 60 years old," Leah Hash, General Manager of Distribution and Collection Treatment for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU), said.

According to a Color ado Springs Utilities crew manager, in certain parts of the city, there's frost 5-6 feet in the ground.

Nevertheless, water main leaks are on the decline.

Leak rates have decreased 40 percent from 2003 to 2010, and CSU is spending less money on emergency maintenance.

"We're being more proactive by replacement and maintenance rather than going out in emergencies," Darlene Garcia, Water Main Program Manager for Colorado Springs Utilities, said.

CSU has spent more than $60 million on water main replacement since 2005 and have prioritized their projects on a number of issues, including leak history, frequency and material.

And while they've focused on being proactive, there is no permanent solution to preventing leaks.

Utility officials said it would be financially irresponsible to spend the large amount of money it would take to work on the infrastructure that would be paid partially in a rate hike.

"Given all the other pressures our customers, and I'm a customer also, are feeling I don't know then as a community we're be willing to spend the money," Hash said.

If you're curious about how long a water main break effects the average Colorado Springs Utilities customer, it's fewer than 10 minutes per year.