CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Crews have confirmed a leak on the Mary Rhodes Pipeline, a city spokesperson told KRIS 6 News. It is the second leak on the pipeline in less than two weeks.
The leak is at a weld on a manway, an access hatch for the pipe. Welders have started removing the exterior mortar at the spots where the failed pipe will be cut.
About 24 feet of pipe will be removed and replaced, according to the spokesperson. The city has not said when the pipeline will return to service.
Corpus Christi Water announced Oct. 1 that it found a potential leak while bringing the pipeline back online after two days of scheduled work, according to a city news release. During that shutdown, the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority installed backup pumps at the Lake Texana Pump Station and city contractors added two pipeline connections.
The city said the leak is near the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant, across the Nueces River. Crews began removing water from the site so contractors could dig to the pipe and assess the leak.
Rain Thursday night kept a contractor from inspecting the possible leak last week, a city spokesperson told KRIS 6 News on Oct. 2.
Second leak in less than two weeks
The pipeline went offline Sept. 19 after a leak was found on a 64-inch pipe near Highway 77, just north of Refugio, KRIS 6 News reported. Crews replaced 17 feet of pipe. An active gas line in the same trench complicated the work.
That repair kept the pipeline offline for nearly a week. The new repair is about 7 feet longer.
The 101-mile pipeline carries water from Lake Texana to the O.N. Stevens plant. Since it opened in 1998, it has had at least 33 leaks or failures, KRIS 6 News has reported.
Where the water is coming from
The pipeline will stay offline until repairs are complete, according to the city. In the meantime, the region's water is coming from the western reservoirs and the Nueces Groundwater Program.
During the Refugio repair, city officials said relying on those sources would not trigger a water emergency or drops in water pressure.
Before this leak, Corpus Christi Water planned to run the pipeline at reduced pumping rates through Nov. 16 so crews could work safely on pump station upgrades. It is not clear whether the new repair will change that schedule.
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