First giant concrete pour takes place at our new Pukekohe reservoir site

14/06/2019
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Watercare project engineer Buena VanWyk and project manager Faiz Salim coordinate first concrete pour at Pukekohe reservoir site.

A convoy of concrete trucks delivered approximately 273 cubic metres of fresh concrete to our new water reservoir on the outskirts of Pukekohe in the early hours of Friday (14 June) morning.
 
Around 57 truck deliveries saw 650 tonnes of concrete being poured into the first section (quarter) of the 80m diameter floor of the new 50 million litre water reservoir.  It’s the first time that we have built a new reservoir of this size since 1994 and is just one of four of this magnitude in the Auckland region.
 
Floodlights illuminated the area as the trucks drove back and forth from concrete plants in Bombay and East Tamaki.
 
Watercare project manager Faiz Salim says the operation was blessed with perfect weather conditions: “It was a still night and light traffic meant the trucks were able to travel quickly and without incident. This is one of the biggest concrete pours Watercare has done this year and we’re pleased it went so well.”
 
The concrete will take seven days to cure and will dry to full strength in 28 days.
 
The floor is criss-crossed with steel reinforcing, which will be put under tension before the first pre-cast reservoir wall is lowered into place in a few weeks’ time.
 
Another floor section will be concreted before the end of the month, followed by the two remaining sections.  Internal supporting columns and a roof will be constructed before the end of the year. The new reservoir is due to be commissioned mid next year (2020) and a second reservoir will be built on the same site as demand from Auckland’s growing population increases. 
 
The reservoirs will connect to the Waikato No 1 watermain and will provide residents in the north Franklin district, as well as Auckland with increased security of supply and greater resilience.
 
Currently, water is pumped from the Waikato Water Treatment Plant through the Waikato No 1 Watermain to a small concrete balancing tank (reservoir), which sits in a corner of the Runciman Road site.  Once the new reservoir is constructed, water will flow by gravity to the Redoubt Road reservoirs in Manukau.