(latest – Wellington Water)
Update 14 06/09/2024 (Final)
Kia Ora Koutou
Last night our crews successfully restored the Days Bay Pump station back to the wastewater network following successful pipe replacement, connection, and pressure testing. We have ceased the use of the sucker trucks following full-service restoration.
Wellington Water acknowledges the mahi of all the crews involved in this difficult and complex repair. Thank you also to the Eastbourne community. We acknowledge the works have taken a long time, and we appreciate your patience, understanding and support throughout.
Restrictions on water recreational activities at Days Bay have been lifted, please check with LAWA for more information (above snippet from LAWA as of 9am today).
As the repair works close, all attention now turns to complete reinstatement of the site. Wellington Water is working with the regional council and DoC regarding site restoration, this includes new vegetation while ensuring the long-term sanctuary of the penguins.
Given service has now been restored, no further updates for this incident will follow this closing notification.
Nga Mihi Nui
UPDATE 13 – 03/09/2024 – DAYS BAY WASTEWATER OVERFLOW
Kia Ora Koutou
The progress to reinstate the Days Bay pump station to the wastewater network has slowed with the heavy rain today.
- Welders were expected to complete their works today, but it’s not been possible.
- The finishing touches to the new manholes (concreting) and pipe connections have also been affected.
This final phase of works is complex, and our crews have had to adjust their original approach with the pipe installation and connections, to ensure alignment with the existing infrastructure.
As the works begin to wind down, the crews are also moving plant and equipment off site that is no longer required, so they can create more space for the final reinstatement of the work site.
Given the projected weather forecast, the pump station is expected to return to full network service on Thursday 05/09/2024.
The reinstatement of the penguin habitat is underway with the necessary consent planning being progressed.
Days Bay wastewater overflow
26/8
The recommissioning of the main outfall pipeline got underway late Thursday night and is slowly returning to full service. It was expected that this would be taken slower than anticipated due to heavy rain forecast overnight on Friday and into Saturday.
Once it resumes full service, the current treated wastewater discharges into the Waiwhetū Stream will cease.
Following this development, crews and resources have shifted over to the Days Bay pump station work site to help with pipe installation, and connection back to the local wastewater network.
Based on current estimations, these repairs are expected to be completed by next Friday. Note, the timeline is subject to weather, site conditions and any other unforeseen circumstances.
Health and safety teams continue to support the work, carrying out checks to ensure safety of workers and the public. We’re also liaising with the Roading Alliance and the Department of Conservation on traffic management, and the safety of penguins.
There is still ongoing engagement with nearby residents to ensure we are minimising impacts for them.
Sucker trucks are continuing to operate around the clock to transfer wastewater to the Seaview treatment plant for processing. We are looking at contingency options to phase out the use of sucker trucks as works progress next week.
While works continue at the Days Bay pump station, we advise the community to avoid water recreational activities near the pump station until further notice.
The rāhui covering the Waiwhetū Stream, the eastern portion of Te Whanganui a Tara to Parangarehu (Pencarrow Point) and Te Awa Kairangi (to Waione Street Bridge) is still in place.
While works have progressed, we are asking the community to conserve water where possible; this is especially the case for Days Bay and Mahina Bay residents.
The Department of Conservation and Wellington Water are liaising closely on plans to ensure the long-term sanctuary of the penguins, after the works are completed.
We really appreciate the patience and understanding of the community. We are making headway on what is a complex repair, and the progress made this week has been exceptional given the circumstances.
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16/08, 12 PM
UPDATE 15
Work is progressing on repairs to fully reinstate the network.
CCTV investigations have provided details about the extent of the work required for the repair.
Design for the new pipe and connections is well advanced with material and fittings coming on site to move the repair works forward.
The depth of the site that our crews need to work in, and the presence of other services strategic gas, trunk water main and the Eastbourne trunk sewer confirms the complexity of the repair. Work is proceeding on the design and manufacture of steel shields to protect these services and our crews while the repair is underway.
We have been liaising closely with the Department of Conservation on the welfare and safety of the penguins who are near the Days Bay pump station. A fence has been installed around the work site to ensure the penguins are kept away from the works. We will continue to work with the Department of Conservation to monitor the penguins as we proceed with the repair.
With wastewater overflows minimised since Tuesday, results from our testing of water in the affected areas are positive and we are starting to see clear sampling. We will continue to monitor this but remind people to remain out of the water and not collect kaimoana until further notice.
Sucker trucks continue to operate and at this stage are managing overflows well, minimising the discharge of wastewater into Days Bay.
Another update will be provided at the end of today.
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Days Bay wastewater overflow
15/08, 4.30 PM
UPDATE 14
Kia ora Lower Hutt
The crews are making progress after another busy but productive day.
• Assessment of the pipe condition is continuing. The repair is extensive, and it will take some time to get the network back to full operation.
• Custom-designed shielding is being manufactured to ensure the stability of the site, protect other services in the trench (including gas) and the safety of our crews.
• We ask the community again to stay out of the water – please do not swim or collect kai moana until further notice and follow the advice of LAWA https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/.
Thank you again for your patience and support. Our crews are working urgently to get the repair work done.
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Days Bay wastewater overflow
15/08, 1 PM
UPDATE 13
We have stopped the overflow of wastewater from the Pt Arthur and York Bay pump stations. The discharge of untreated wastewater at Days Bay is being mimimised with sucker trucks doing well to keep up with transporting wastewater to the Seaview treatment plant for processing.
We are working at pace to repair the main outfall connection to stop the discharge of fully treated wastewater to Waiwhetū Stream.
Our crews have completed excavation of the site to expose the pipe. The pipe has been found to be corroded and in poor condition. Initial indications are the pipe has failed in three points, and CCTV will now be used for further investigations to confirm the full extent of the repair work.
Due to concerns for stability of the site because of its location by the road, custom-made shielding is being manufactured to protect other services at the site and to ensure the safety of our crews to undertake the repair work. Gas is in the trench so having safety structures in place are critical to ensure the work can proceed safely.
We have identified penguin nesting areas nearby the Days Bay pump station. We are working with the Department of Conservation to identify any issues that will need to be addressed as we progress with the repair.
We have also been advised that people are fishing off Waione Bridge. We are reminding the community again to stay out of the water (see map) – please do not swim or collect kai moana until further notice and follow the advice of LAWA https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/.
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Days Bay wastewater overflow
14/08, 5 PM
UPDATE 12
Kia ora Eastbourne
The sucker trucks at Days Bay have largely kept up with wastewater flows today, and have been successful in minimising the flow of untreated wastewater into Days Bay. These will remain in operation 24/7 to transport wastewater to the Seaview treatment plant for processing until repairs to the pump station are complete.
We are making good progress on a very complex repair but continue to proceed with caution to ensure the safety of the public and our crews while avoiding further damage or disruption to the network and other services as we carry out work to fully reinstate the network.
A further update will be provided tomorrow.
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Days Bay wastewater overflow
14/08, 1 PM
UPDATE 11
Kia ora Eastbourne
Our crews have been successful in finding a way to get sucker trucks to Days Bay. These have been operational since 5pm last night and wastewater is now being transported to the Seaview Treatment Plant for processing. This will reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater to Days Bay. Access will be very limited in this area, so we ask residents, commuters, and pedestrians to take extra care in this area.
We have installed additional signage around the affected area, so you know where to avoid. Please see the map image below with locations. A reminder, these areas remain closed until further notice.
Crews are making progress towards a full reinstatement of the network. It is a complex repair, and we need to work carefully in a challenging location. Thank you again for your patience, we’ll provide a further update at the end of today.
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Days Bay wastewater overflow
13/08, 5 PM
UPDATE 10
Our crews have made good progress throughout today. We currently have two teams operating in parallel at the construction site and they have been supported by technical crews to ensure stability and safety of the site while the repair is underway.
Pump stations at York Bay and Pt Arthur are back online with wastewater now flowing to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing as per normal. This means wastewater is no longer discharging into York Bay and Pt Arthur. The sucker truckers will remain on site as a precaution in the short term and we will continue to undertake environmental sampling in these areas until we have three days clear.
With less pressure on the network, we are now exploring options to see if we can get sucker trucks to Days Bay to reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater. Access is very limited in this area so we will need to carefully the consider safety of residents, commuters and pedestrians as we work through this.
As work progresses on the repair, there will be a lot of equipment in the vicinity of the site. We are doing our best to manage this safely with traffic management, but ask pedestrians and commuters to be careful when passing through this area.
With the progress made today to restore service at York Bay and Pt Arthur, residents south of 627 Marine Drive and north of 401 Marine Drive can revert to normal water use. However, we do ask residents in Days Bay, Mahina Bay, and Sunshine Bay to continue their efforts to conserve water.
We thank everyone in the Eastbourne community for your patience and understanding as we continue to work towards a full reinstatement of the network.
We’ll provide another update before midday tomorrow.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
13/08 10.30 AM
UPDATE 9
With the pipe fully drained, our crews have commenced excavation of the site to enable a closer inspection of the work required for the repair. Sucker trucks continue to operate around the clock to transport wastewater to the Seaview Treatment Plant.
This is a complex repair in a coastal environment with multiple wastewater pump stations in the immediate area. It is not clear yet how long the repair work will take, but it is likely to be several days and will need to be done in stages. A plan with estimates of the timeframes for each phase will be completed by this afternoon.
Iwi have placed a rāhui covering Waiwhetū Stream, the eastern portion of Te Whanganui a Tara to Parangarehu (Pencarrow Point) and Te Awa Kairangi (to Waione Street Bridge) for as long as the discharge continues.
We have increased our sampling to include all the Recreational Bathing Water Quality (Baywatch) sites in the eastern bays. GWRC has put all these sites to Red in LAWA. These sites are in addition to the six sites around the York Bay, Day’s Bay, and Point Arthur pumps stations.
Additional signage will be installed at all entry points to beaches and every 100m from Sorrento Bay to Point Arthur. These should be in place by this afternoon. These areas remain closed until further notice. We remind all recreational users to follow the advice of LAWA – https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/
We are doing all we can to get the pipe fixed as soon as possible and thank the Eastbourne community for their patience and support as our crews continue to undertake the work.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
12/08 4.24pm
UPDATE 8
Heading into peak hour traffic, a reminder that traffic management remains in place and will continue overnight (full details in Update 7 below). Our crews are doing their best to minimise disruption.
We thank commuters for your patience and understanding while we work on the repair.
Following this recent discharge, Taranaki Whānui are placing a Rāhui at Sunset Point. This will extend across the eastern section of the Harbour to Parangarahu, Te Awa Kairangi from the Waione St Bridge, and the Waiwhetū Stream. This began at 4pm this afternoon.
We’ll provide a detailed update from around 9.30am tomorrow morning.
12/08, 3.07pm
UPDATE 7
Our crews continue to urgently work on the pipe repair and are in the process of digging underground to expose the pipe.
Here’s the main things to keep in mind:
– Our priority is to fix the pipe as soon as possible to minimise environmental impacts, while maintaining safe sites both our crews and the public.
– There will be traffic management currently being setup in the following areas. These will remain in place until further notice, operating 24/7. We are doing our best to minimise disruption for commuters.
* A permanent lane closure at Days Bay
* A temporary stop go sign at York Bay
– Tankers continue to transport untreated wastewater from the pump stations at Point Arthur and York Bay to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. This will generate extra traffic and noise, particularly in Point Arthur. These tankers will be operating 24/7, until further notice.
– With the increased traffic, we ask that people – particularly drivers – are mindful of pedestrians walking along the impacted area.
– We ask that residents located along the Eastern Bays, south of Point Howard, to continue to reduce pressure on the wastewater network, by doing the following:
• When using the toilet, stick to the half-flush and save the full flush for when you really, really need it.
• If it’s possible, ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow’.
We’ll provide further updates as the repair progresses.
12/08, 9.30 AM
UPDATE 6
Our team have been successful in draining down the pipe overnight. This will enable us to safely progress to the next stage of the repair.
The repair is complex due to a number of factors including the location of the pipe on a busy part of the road as well as several utility services located within the area. Our crews will proceed with caution.
We’ll continue with our sampling of the affected areas and tankers will remain in place to transport wastewater to the Seaview Treatment Plant for treatment until the repair is completed.
We’ll provide further updates as this work progresses.
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11/08, 5.30 PM
UPDATE 5
Work has begun on the repair with pressure being drained from the main outfall pipe. This will enable our crew to safely begin excavation of the site in the morning.
Due to the challenging location of the repair which is at a depth impacted by the tide and the valves involved, this repair is extremely complex, and it could several days to complete the work.
We have mobilised tankers to transport untreated wastewater from the pump stations at Point Arthur and York Bay to the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. These tankers will be on site from 4pm and will continue until the repair to the pipe has been complete.
We have been engaging with local iwi who are currently considering the placement of a rāhui with the area to be confirmed.
We acknowledge the impact this incident has on the environment and for recreational users in the area. This is why we are working as fast as we can to undertake the repair to ensure we minimise the impact on the environment.
Unless there are major developments, no further updates will be provided tonight.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
11/08, 11.30AM
UPDATE 4
Please see our media release
Thanks again for your patience. We’ll continue to post updates as we work through our response.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
11/08, 9 AM
UPDATE 3
Morena Eastbourne
The crew are back on site to resume the repair of the wastewater pipe at Days Bay. We’re asking residents to help reduce pressure on the wastewater network, If you can
• When using the toilet, stick to the half-flush and save the full flush for when you really, really need it.
• If it’s possible, ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow’.
If you can avoid a long shower, that helps too. Keep it quick in the shower (about as long as a song) and make every minute count.
Here is more info on how to conserve water – https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/…/water-calculator/
We appreciate this is not an ideal way to start your Sunday morning, but we’re doing all we can to get the pipe fixed. Thank you for your patience and support.
We’ll keep you posted today, as our crews undertake the works.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
10/08, 9 PM
UPDATE 2
Kia ora Eastbourne
The repair crews have been stood down for health and safety reasons with an incoming high tide and poor light.
There are some contingencies in place this evening to divert overflows and minimise environmental impacts overnight.
Water sampling has been undertaken along the affected area and this will continue over the next few days.
Crews will be on site first thing tomorrow morning to continue the repair work. It is unclear how long the works will take to fix the burst wastewater pipe.
In the meantime, please follow the public health signage in place at Days Bay, Sunshine Bay, and York Bay. These areas will be closed to the public until further notice.
Wellington Water recommends all recreational water users follow the advice of Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) – https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/
There will be no further updates this evening.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
10/08, 5.30PM
UPDATE 1
The crews are working through contingencies to manage the wastewater overflow.
We’re asking Eastbourne residents to reduce household use of toilets and showers, when possible, to minimise any extra pressure on the wastewater network.
Currently, there is untreated and treated wastewater being discharged at Days Bay and York Bay to enable the necessary inspections and repair work.
Please follow the public health signage being installed from Sunshine Bay and York Bay.
Wellington Water recommends all recreational water users follow the advice of Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) – https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/
We will provide another update soon.
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Wastewater overflow:
Days Bay, Eastbourne
4.20PM
Kia ora Eastbourne
Our crews are responding to a wastewater overflow at the Days Bay pump station.
The crews’ immediate focus is on stopping the overflow to reduce any environmental impacts. We are installing public health signage along the affected area from Eastbourne to Seaview.
We will provide further updates soon.
