New pump station and pipework takes shape at Wynyard Quarter

Projects, 27/07/2017


Wynyard Quarter is undergoing one of New Zealand’s biggest and high profile urban renewal projects, turning an industrial port area into a public place. The current wastewater system is not sufficient to service this redevelopment. 

As a result, we are building a new pump station and pipeline​. The new pump station has been architecturally designed to complement the design features of the future Wynyard Common area. 

Behind the hoardings, our contractor, Fulton Hogan is building a giant 14-metre deep circular tank into the ground. Aboveground, the curved walls of a new pump station structure called “a control building” are being built in three stages, eventually reaching a height of 10.5 metres.

Once the work has been finished, the area will be paved and planted, providing another outdoor park called Wynyard Common for the public to enjoy. New public toilets will be built inside the pump station, which is shaped like silo stacks to reflect the well-known feature of Wynyard Quarter.

Watercare project engineer Peter Kukulsky says the project will have significant benefits for the community: “Wynyard Quarter is a dynamic area of Auckland, with lots of redevelopment going on in a concentrated area. It’s important that the wastewater system not only keeps up with this redevelopment, it also caters for future growth.

“The new pump station and underground tanks will store 400,000 litres of wastewater, reducing the incident of wet-weather overflows during heavy rain, when large amounts of stormwater suddenly enter the system.”

One of the challenges for the contractors has been the relatively small size of the site, which is wedged up against other construction sites. Cranes dot the skyline in this part of town.      

The land is owned by Auckland Council and the project has been undertaken with careful co-ordination with Auckland Transport and Panuku Development Auckland. The project has been a great example of the Auckland Council group working together.   

Construction of the $14 million project (pump station and pipeline) began in November 2015 and is due for completion in 2018.

A 700-metre-long pipeline joins the new pump station to the existing wastewater network. Victoria Park and Halsey Street are both heritage areas and we have put in place procedures to ensure that any archaeological artefacts uncovered can be preserved. 

Work in Halsey Street began in June and is due to finish in October. A traffic management plan is in place, with south-bound lanes remaining open, with access from Fanshawe Street. North-bound traffic should follow diversions. Bus stops along Halsey Street are closed during construction - alternative locations are available on the Auckland Transport website.