42/30/24″ Industrial Raw Waterline Condition Assessment and Prioritization

Aurora undertook a pivotal role in the Texas City petrochemical facilities, to identify and prioritize critical raw water transmission line segments for detailed assessment and potential repair/rehabilitation. Given the important role the petrochemical facilities are to the region and Nation and the inherent risk of contamination, the project’s primary focus was ensuring the safety of the construction crews while reducing risks to the operation of the line. Aurora’s efforts included identifying optimal interconnects between two parallel transmission lines to backfeed industrial operations and improve the reliability of water to the industries. The project 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 necessitating 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.