Innovative and Record-Setting Project Improves Reliability and Service for Region’s Customers

For over 130 years, Corpus Christi Water has been the vital supplier for the seven-county Coastal Bend Region, providing water to over 500,000 area residents. CCW has one water treatment plant that receives and treats water from several sources. The 25-year-old Mary Rhodes Pipeline Phase I currently conveys about half of CCW’s raw water from Lake Texana to the WTP over 101 miles. It is critical to providing the raw water supply to the treatment plant for transmission and distribution to CCW customers.  

The MRP has had 33 leaks or failures since its inception and has a high risk of failure due to its capacity, length and lack of redundancy. As a result, CCW engaged HDR to perform a comprehensive assessment of the MRP to better understand potential causes of historical failures and provide recommendations for maintaining the pipeline’s performance and reliability. The MRP condition assessment overcame an industry challenge by using new inline inspection tools to complete a record-breaking distance inspection. 

Our team led the project, working with CCW and the Lavaca Navidad River Authority. We used cutting-edge technology to evaluate the pipeline’s integrity, including internal assessment tools, aerial drone assessments, corrosivity testing, pump optimization, and real-time monitoring at strategic points along the pipeline route. These measures have allowed CCW to increase the flowrate through the MRP and access additional sources of stranded water for the Corpus Christi community.

Project accomplishments include:

• Record setting: Longest free-swimming inline leak inspection of a water pipeline.
• Industry advancing: Advanced technologies available for municipalities with long-distance pipelines.  
• Improved pipeline reliability: Provided the data needed to proactively implement measures to improve reliability.
• Advanced operations: CCW and LNRA utility operations crews demonstrated a level of excellence and hard work worthy of an award. On demand, they altered the operations of three major pump stations and a water treatment plant to get the job done.
• Collaboration: All stakeholders, including wholesale customers, worked together to get an important project completed.

The project was named Asset Management Project of the Year at the Underground Infrastructure Conference March 4, 2025, recognizing the City of Corpus Christi’s commitment to innovative infrastructure management and water security.