The initial stage of urgent and temporary repairs, with a few exceptions, is now largely complete. We are now moving from the initial site investigations and preliminary design to the detailed design and delivery phase. While some projects will be built between now and the end of the year, the majority will proceed in summer next year or when the ground conditions permit.
Priority
Our priority remains with sites that face challenges such as bypass pumping, impacts to customers, or the risk of subsequent failure due to the temporary nature of the repairs or potential land movement.
Investment
We have approved projects with a total spend of $16.5 million, and have another $25 million pending approval.
Our first priority after the extreme weather events of January and February 2023 was restoring water to our impacted customers. About 3,000 homes in west Auckland were without water after the January storm when a severe slip took out a major watermain. Our team worked hard to reconfigure the water network (changing the way water gets from A to B) to restore water to customers within two to five days. With water restored, we then focused on preventing wastewater overflows to the environment.
Project highlights
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Local networks and pipe bridges
With the upcoming summer period and the promise of drier weather, we are gearing up to repair local network pipes and pipe bridges.
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Headworks
The repair of Quinns Bridge is complete, and the design is finalised for slip remediation. Four other sites are currently in the design and optioneering stage.
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Muriwai WTP
The Muriwai Water Treatment Plant has been returned to service.
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Pukekohe WTP
We are evaluating options and costs for the return to service at the Pukekohe Water Treatment Plant. Pricing and optioneering has been approved with capital approval now pending
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Pump station electrical
Site investigations have been completed, and we are currently drafting a business case for the approval of remedial works.
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Transmission sites
Urgency was given to resolving the issue at Unsworth Heights which is now complete, while temporary supports have been installed at Akoranga. We are actively exploring design options for permanent repairs at these sites.
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Royal Viking and Lynfield pump stations
Slips near these pump stations have damaged and put assets at risk. Preliminary design has been completed to identify remediation options.
Climate adaptation
We also want to emphasise our commitment to considering climate adaptation for all our projects and sites.
Muriwai
The Muriwai Water Treatment Plant was taken out of service when a slip caused by the February 14 weather event buried and damaged part of the plan and reservoir. The plant is now functioning again. Work has been underway since April to restore the Water Treatment Plant. While the repair has significantly improved the site’s resilience, the plant won’t be able to treat as much water as it previously could because access to one of the springs located on Motutara Road has been blocked. Because of this, there is a chance we may need to bring back the temporary water supply solution if we are unable to draw water from one of the springs or top-up supply at the water treatment sites. We continue to ask our Muriwai customers to use water wisely, particularly over the summer months when water usage traditionally increases.
To help mitigate the chance of discoloured water in the network, our team is in the community actively flushing the network, testing the water and addressing the issues when they occur.
Braemar Road, Castor Bay
Detailed design for a permanent repair is underway with a temporary bypass in place while design planning is underway. The permanent solution will contain a curved drill shot in firm material so as to not risk further slip damage in the future.
Seacliffe Avenue, Belmont
A landslip caused a wastewater pipe to break, and the land is no longer stable or able to hold a permanent pipe. We have investigated alternative solutions to move three properties onto pressure sewer systems which will enable them to move permanently back onto the wastewater network. Pressure sewer systems are suited in this type situation where there is no longer an option to use gravity to move wastewater to the pump station.
With the pressure sewer system, each property will have a small private pump installed that will pump the wastewater to the pump stations. Planning is progressing on this installation which is anticipated to be completed in the coming months.
Rosecamp Road, Beach Haven
A significant slip along the cliff-front caused significant damage to the wastewater pipeline. A robust and resilient temporary repair was completed and was eventually adopted as the permanent repair.
Kia Ora Road/Stott Avenue, Birkdale
There were several slips behind these streets and Birkenhead College. Temporary fixes and bypasses have been installed to address the environmental discharge from more than 400 properties within this catchment. The permanent repair design consists of a retaining wall and cover for the wastewater line to prevent further damage. The site is difficult to access, and ground conditions have meant that construction has had to be delayed as the site is too difficult to work on when wet. Works will be resumed in the summer, with an estimated completion date of 29 February 2024.
Gladstone Road, Parnell
A significant slip under the Parnell Rose Gardens required a substantial over-land bypass. This temporary by-pass that previously stretched across Gladstone Road outside the entrance to the Parnell Rose Gardens has been removed.
Middleton Road, Remuera
The wastewater pipe runs down an existing watercourse. The floods exposed the pipe and debris crushed it in multiple places. Temporary piping has been installed and the design of a permanent repair is in progress.
If remedial work is required for your flood or storm damaged property and it's in close proximity to our assets, please keep us updated with your plans for repair. There may be temporary pipes in place or permanent fixes for us yet to complete. We want to work with you as much as possible, so it is important you keep us updated on your plans and the timing of any repairs. When you have an idea of what your land remediation will look like, please update us by emailing [email protected].
When working over or near to one of our assets you are required to apply for a Works Over permit. When you are completing the permit application, please add ‘flood recovery’ in the reference name description field so we correctly identify your application and put it through the fast-track process. Once you have completed the application, please advise us of the reference at [email protected].
For more information on the works over process, click the button below.
If you’d like to follow up directly about an issue in your neighbourhood that we’re already aware of,
please email [email protected].
If you need to report a new fault,
please click here to log a fault.
Temporary wastewater solutions are more susceptible to blockages in our pipes and pumps, which can cause wastewater overflows. It’s more important than ever to
flush only the 3Ps – toilet paper, pee and poo – and to avoid pouring fats and oils down the sink.