CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: City officials say contractors have successfully finished joint welding. More work is expected to be completed this evening.
"Tomorrow, we will begin full water service to ON Stevens as additional pumps will be brought on slowly consistent with full service start-up procedures. If the process continues as planned, we expect water delivery through the MRP to ON Stevens at some point tomorrow," officials said Friday morning.
UPDATE: Crews have successfully finished welding all the joints today. The new pipe has also been protected with a polyurethane wrap.
UPDATE: Crews have installed a replacement section of the Mary Rhodes Pipeline and finished welding its connections, moving the repair into the testing phase, the City of Corpus Christi said Thursday.
Crews will next fill the repaired section with water for hydrostatic testing. The test pressurizes the new pipe to confirm it and its connections hold before the line returns to full service.
The pipeline will stay offline during testing and the remaining restoration work. If work continues as planned, the city expects the pipeline to return to service Friday, Sept. 25.
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Corpus Christi Water contract crews are making progress on repairs to the Mary Rhodes Pipeline following a leak detected last week, with the pipe replacement expected to be complete by Friday.
Crews have fully excavated the affected portion of the pipeline and determined that approximately 17 feet of pipeline will have to be removed and replaced.
Work expanded Wednesday as crews enlarged the excavation area and began preparing to remove the failed section of pipe. Spare materials, including 64-inch bar-wrapped pipe stored at the Woodsboro Pump Station, are being prepared for installation. Additional backfill material is being delivered, and welders are on-site for the removal and replacement work.
Corpus Christi Water expects the repair to be complete by Friday, with startup operations projected to occur over the weekend.
While the Mary Rhodes Pipeline remains offline, Corpus Christi Water continues to work closely with regional customers and partners to manage the water supply. Increased production from the Nueces Groundwater Program and releases from the Wesley Seale Dam continue, as these sources deliver water via the Nueces River to the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant for treatment.
Crews and contractors are working around the clock to safely complete the repair and restore the pipeline as soon as possible. Additional updates will be provided as work progresses.
