Construction on our new wastewater transfer pipeline from the Lucy Moore Memorial Park Pump Station in Warkworth to the new Snells-Algies Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to start in spring, after resource consents were granted with no appeals.
Following a hearing in May, Auckland Council granted resource consent for the 5-kilometre pipe. The appeal period lapsed earlier this month with no appeals.
Our chief infrastructure officer Steve Webster says the pipeline is a “critical piece in the puzzle” for our $300+m investment programme that will support growth and improve environmental outcomes in the North-East region.
“We’re already building a pump station at Lucy Moore Memorial Park, and have begun construction on a sophisticated new wastewater treatment plant at Snells Beach – so the pipeline we’ve just received consent for is the critical connecting piece. When this work is complete, the pipe will carry Warkworth’s wastewater to the treatment plant, where it will be treated to a very high quality before it’s discharged at the new ocean outfall we completed in 2020.
“Together, this programme of work will help to clean up the Mahurangi River by removing the current treated wastewater discharge into the river from the existing Warkworth Wastewater Treatment Plant, and reduce overflows in the network.
“It also enables development in the Warkworth area, which is expected to swell to 28,000 people by 2050.”
Webster says our design and consenting team went back to the drawing board after initial consents granted in 2019 for an 8.5km pipeline – part of which was to run along Sandspit Rd – were met with fierce resistance from the community.
“We sought feedback from the community, including the Rodney Local Board, and the result was loud and clear: digging up Sandspit Rd – an already very busy road – was not acceptable. We took that feedback on board, invested a lot of time in exploring alternative options and came up with a solution that’s better for the community, for the environment and is more cost-efficient.
“The revised design cuts out 3.5km of pipe and eliminates the need for two pump stations, which reduces the carbon footprint from both construction and the operation of these assets, and brings down the project cost.
“By using trenchless tunnelling technology instead of open trenching in the road reserve, we’ll also be greatly reducing any traffic disruption. Moving construction off roads and tunnelling also reduces the health and safety risks for the team who will be delivering the project for us.”
Earthworks and preliminary construction work is expected to begin this spring, before tunnelling kicks off early next year. The project is expected to be completed early in 2025.