Client: Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA)
Location: Texas City, TX
Aurora was pivotal in the Texas City petrochemical facilities’ mission to identify and prioritize critical raw water transmission line segments. This was for detailed assessment and potential repair/rehabilitation of the segments. Given the important role petrochemical facilities play in the region and the inherent risk of contamination, the project’s primary focus was to ensure the safety of the construction crews while reducing risks to the operation of the line. Consequently, Aurora’s efforts included identifying optimal interconnections between two parallel transmission lines to backfeed industrial operations and improve water reliability for the industries. The project accordingly encompassed testing over 20,000 LF of existing transmission lines of varying sizes and materials. Unique requirements were presented by each of the three chemical facilities involved, with the work also requiring specialized safety training including TWIC.
Services Provided:
• Determine optimal locations for interconnects between the two lines, while avoiding areas of identified contamination. This required determining the plants’ delivery and shipment schedules, shift changes for plant workers, and plant production impacts, all while accounting for union agreements for the plant workers.
• Determination of optimal access points for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) tools.
• Identification of feasible rehabilitation methods tailored to specific site conditions.
• Recommendations on inspection technologies based on pipe condition, shutdown capabilities, and budget constraints.
• Comprehensive testing of transmission lines ranging from 24” to 42” and made of different materials including cast iron, ductile iron, steel, PCCP, and Bar-Wrap concrete pipes.
• Specialized safety training, including the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
• Engineering support design services for the repair of critical LDWL segments, joints, valves, and blow-offs.