HDPE Pipe Design and Construction: Lessons Learned from the East Texas Fish Hatchery Incident
In April 2009, inspectors at the John D. Parker East Texas Fish Hatchery discovered that sections of 60-inch and 48-inch diameter high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipes had collapsed. Ultimately, approximately 11,000 linear feet of 30-inch, 48-inch, and 60-inch diameter corrugated HDPE pipe were removed and replaced. In May 2010, a Compromise and Settlement Agreement was signed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), HDR Engineering (Engineer), Allco (Contractor), and Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. of America.2 Per this Settlement, the Engineer paid $3.18 million to TPWD and $213,000 to the Contractor. According to the Settlement, “certain issues arose regarding the HDPE drainage pipe on the project, which issues included certain portions of the HDPE pipe experiencing deflections beyond what should normally be expected.”
