Work begins on wastewater pump station in Mairangi Bay Reserve

17/05/2021
Mairangi Bay wastewater treatment plant concept design image
Photo: Concept design image of the wastewater pump station in Sidmouth St, Mairangi Bay.

Contractors will shortly begin work on our long anticipated new $21.5 million wastewater pump station in Sidmouth St, Mairangi Bay.
 
We are holding a ‘meet and greet’ session with residents to answer questions about the project. Contractor Pipeline and Civil is due to begin site preparations in mid-June and construction is expected to take up to two years to complete. The pumpstation will have larger pumps and greater underground storage to double capacity. It will cater for population growth and prevent wet weather overflows when stormwater enters and overwhelms the network during heavy rain events.
 
Project manager Casper Kruger says the new pump station will help protect local waterways including Mairangi Bay Beach, where overflows currently occur up to 10 times per year at engineered points 70m out to sea: “We received resource consent for the new pump station back in 2015 and it’s undergone considerable design refinement, so it’s great to see it underway.
 
We’re aware how much locals love their beach, and this project will virtually eliminate overflows, so there’ll be real improvements in water quality.”
 
The current pump station was built in the 1960’s. All wastewater from the East Coast Bays region passes through the station, before travelling to Rosedale wastewater Treatment Plant to be treated.
 
The smaller replacement building, and underground storage well will be located close by. Considerable care has been taken over the visual design to ensure the pump station integrates with the reserve. Innovations include pumps which have been designed to lie horizontally, instead of vertically, to reduce the overall height and impact of the building.  
 
New controls to manage odour will also be installed. 
 
Hibiscus and Bays local board chair Gary Brown is delighted to see the project get started: “After many years of planning, we are pleased to see the project get underway and look forward to future improvements in beach water quality along the bays.”
 
Traffic management plans will be in place and will cover the beach end of Sidmouth St and access to the southern end of the reserve. Contractors will work to ensure access to both the beach and reserve will be maintained.
 
Pipeline and Civil General Manager Hugh Goddard says: “We are excited to be involved in this project which is so critical to the wellbeing of our beaches, waterways and the community.  We are looking forward to using our experience from over 25 years of constructing high quality water infrastructure to deliver a successful project.”
 
The new pumpstation forms part of a wider project to upgrade the East Coast Bays wastewater network. This includes a new transmission line from the new pumpstation along East Coast Bays Rd plus a new link sewer connecting from East Coast Bays Rd to Rosedale treatment plant.

For more on the project, click here.