GREENVILLE — It would cost the City of Greenville tens of millions of dollars to replace all of the obsolete and decaying water lines under its streets.

The City Council agreed this week to apply for a grant which, if awarded, would pay for at least some of the work.

The Council approved the submission of an application to the Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA), which administers the State of Texas Community Development Block Grant Program (TxCDBG). The Community Development Fund is a competitive grant program for public facility needs such as sewer and water system improvements, street and drainage improvements and housing activities.

“We may or may not be successful in acquiring this grant,” said Director of Public Works Massoud Ebrahim, due to the competitive nature of the grant process.

However, the city has been successful in obtaining the grant funding during the past few grant cycles.

“I’m confident we are going to get it,” Ebrahim said.

The total amount available for allocation under the 2013-2014 competition has not yet been determined, although the maximum grant award per jurisdiction will be $275,000. The grant funds would be distributed during the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The City will need to contribute a local match of at least 20 percent, or $55,000.

Ebrahim said that if the city receives the grant award, it would be able to replace a half-dozen sections of badly deteriorated unlined galvanized cast iron pipeline.

“This project is going to replace a total of 4,850 linear feat of water line and replace it with new PVC,” Ebrahim said. “Some of the pipes are 60 to 80 years old and they are undersized too.”

Ebrahim noted many of the lines are as narrow as two inches, whereas the fire department needs six-inch lines for fire suppression. The metal lines are also prone to failure.

“This past weekend we had a record of six water breaks on this type of infrastructure,” Ebrahim said. “We have approximately $80 million of this type of water line that needs to be replaced.”

Work to be performed under the grant funding would include:

— Upthegrove from Polk to Pace, replacing 890 linear feet existing of two-inch cast iron water main.

— Gibbons from Polk to Pace, replacing replace 890 linear feet of existing two-inch cast iron water main.

— Pace from Gibbons to Sayle, replacing 840 linear feet of existing two-inch cast iron water main.

— McKinney from College to Wellington, replacing 720 linear feet of existing two-inch water main.

— Henry from Langford to College, replacing 310 linear feet of existing cast iron water main.

— Utilis from Lee to Bourland, replacing 1,200 linear feet of existing two-inch to eight inch cast iron water main.

Traylor & Associates of Tyler is preparing the application.

Traylor is the same company which assisted the City of Greenville in seeking funding in July of 2010, during the last TxCDBG program, during which the city received $350,000 in funding for the replacement of water lines under Wesley, Church and Jones Streets.