Renee Coffey
From:
Glenis Bruin <[email address]>
Sent:
Sunday, 25 July 2021 8:43 pm
To:
Customer Support Team; Enquiries; Ashley Gore; Jean Hunter; Leeanne Chapman; [email address]; PNCC Afterhours; David Down;
Ian McSherry; [email address]; Wendy Walker; [email address]; Darren Varcoe (Capital Journeys); Paul Gardiner; Steve Hutchison;
Alistair Cross; James Snowdon; [email address]; Waipuna Grace; Naomi Solomon; Danielle McEveney
Cc:
* All Senior Leaders; COG – Group Leadership Team; Steve Watt; Alistair Forsyth; Sean de Roo; Sheena O'Brien; Damus Ogle; Royce Haxton; John Baines;
Dirk Naish; Paul Davison; Megan Chenxu Wang; Paul Winstanley; Brian Gosper; Ben Hemara; Martin Gronback; Brandon Dittmer; David Henry; Walter
Alexander; Glenn Rangi; Daniel Paulo; Samuel Daniel; Iain McAfee; Jan Christensen; Ajesh Sharma; Grant McLachlan; Tony Jaegers; Laurence Edwards;
Gary O'Meara; HUB Team; GRP: Communications; Emergency ECC; Erin Ganley; Garry Butler; Network Performance;
[email address]; Notifications; [email address]; Environmental Protection;
[email address]; David-Jordan Kee-Sue-Tairea; Alexander van Paassen; Vanessa MacFarlane; Robert Mackie; Robyn Wilson
Subject:
UPDATE 19 20.30 25/07/2021 - BURST WASTEWATER RISING MAIN - SH1 Paremata
UPDATE 19 20:30 25 July 2021
Good Evening
The team were successful in completing the repair this evening and the rising main is now operational. Our team will be monitoring the repair overnight. Note that we will
still have some carparks coned off in the turning circle of the carpark due to machinery being onsite for monitoring purposes. Please see the picture below for approximate
location of pumps (in blue) and carparks in red.
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The principal of Paremata School has been advised that we will have Station Road open with traffic management operators on site to assist parents at pick‐up and drop‐off
time.
Below is a media statement which is being released at approximately 21:00.
Attribute to Steve Hutchison Chief Advisor Wastewater, Wellington Water
Our crews have completed the repair to the burst wastewater main between the Aotea turnoff and Paremata.
While the repair has been successful and has enabled us to begin reusing the main, our investigations have shown that it remains in a
very poor condition. We are continuing to investigate the extent of this while exploring options for a permanent replacement or repair.
As the bursts caused wastewater to overflow, on Saturday 24 July, a rāhui (ritual prohibition) was put in place by Ngāti Toa, banning the
taking of shellfish or fish in and around Porirua harbour. It will be in place for two weeks.
State Highway One, northbound, will remain reduced to one lane while work to clear the site continues. Traffic management will be in
place, off peak, while we do this. Some car parks at the end of Station Road, by the service station, will also be coned off while pumps
remain on site, as a contingency. Please avoid the area if possible.
Further information on recreational water quality is available at lawa.org.nz.
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We’d like to thank the public for their continued patience while we work to fix this issue.
Media contact: [email address] or 021 302 259
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 18 12:30 25 July 2021
Good afternoon
The team are working hard on the repair today and works are progressing well. Because of the complex nature of the repair it is anticipated we will be working into the
evening.
Overnight there was no discharge into the harbour. The rising main was kept in operation and excess flow was well controlled by the use of sucker trucks. The rising main
has had to be taken offline to make the repair today and we are using sucker trucks to minimise overflow although there has been some discharge to the harbour.
Traffic Management remains in place and we are liaising with Capital Journeys. Currently the carpark at the railway station is closed and we will advise when this is open
for use again.
A further update will be provided in the early evening.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 17 11:25
Good morning
Unfortunately there has been a delay in the arrival of the specialised fittings from Auckland, which will now arrive after 21:00 (9pm) tonight. Consequently we are putting
today’s work on hold. Sucker trucks have been mobilised to assist with minimising overflows at peak times and work will resume tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
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UPDATE 16 11:10 24 July 2021
Good Morning
Works are continuing today at the Rising Main repair on SH1 Paremata. Repairs today consist of replacing a longer (12 meter) section of pipe in the area with specialist
internal reinforcement joints which have been sourced and flown in from Auckland to enable connection to the fragile pipe. This work is expected to continue into the
evening.
Flows were contained overnight with no overflows to the harbour. Leakage from the repair site was contained by the use of sucker trucks. We anticipate there may be
some overflows today while the repair work is underway. Sucker trucks have been mobilised to reduce the overflow, however there are likely to be some overflows during
peak times today.
Ngati Toa are planning to place a Rahui on the harbour area which will be conducted at the Titahi Bay Boating Club at 1pm today.
Sampling is continuing and we are liaising with GWRC to keep recreational water advice updated on lawa.org.nz.
A media release will be going out at 11:30 (see below).
Attribute to Steve Hutchison Chief Advisor Wastewater, Wellington Water
Our crews are continuing to work on a repair to the burst wastewater main between the Aotea turnoff and Paremata.
State Highway One, northbound, will be reduced to one lane over the weekend while work continues.
Traffic management is in place and we encourage the public to avoid the area if possible.
Our investigations have shown the pipe, which has failed twice this week, is in a very poor condition. Staff and machinery were on site
overnight to monitor the situation.
We are continuing to investigate the cause and extent of the degradation while exploring options for a permanent replacement or repair.
Due to the complexity of the repair, and fragile nature of the pipeline, we expect there to be some additional overflow today. We are
working to minimise this as much as possible.
To reduce potential wastewater overflow, we ask residents in Whitby, Paremata, Plimmerton, Pukerua Bay, and in the northern parts of
Papakowhai to minimise water use as much as possible.
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We ask members of the public to avoid contact with water in the area and to not gather shellfish in the area. Health warning signs are in
place.
Further information on recreational water quality is available at lawa.org.nz.
We’d like to thank the public for their continued patience while we work to fix this issue.
Media contact: [email address] or 021 302 259
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 14 – 20:15 – 23 July 2021
Good Evening
Due to the complexity of the job, fragility of the pipe and the fact that several different options have considered and tried today, our team have made a temporary repair to
hold the pipe overnight whilst they arrange for resources to enable a more robust repair to be undertaken tomorrow.
The majority of the teams have been stood down for the night but we have people on site to monitor the situation throughout the night. Some leakage is expected from
the temporary repair and we will endeavour to contain that using sucker trucks.
One lane of the State Highway northbound will remain closed.
We will provide a further update tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 13 ‐ 17:45 – 23 July 2021
Good Evening
Work to repair the wastewater main between the Aotea turnoff and Paremata is continuing.
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Traffic management has remained in place through rush hour and the disruption has been manageable.
Due to the condition of the pipe and the complex repair it’s taking longer than anticipated to complete. We do not expect to be able to complete a permanent repair this
evening and will evaluate whether work will continue tomorrow depending on the effectiveness of the repair tonight.
Close attention is being paid to fatigue of our staff and contractors.
We will update you further later this evening.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 12 – 14:00 23 July 2021
Good afternoon
Repair work on the rising main is progressing but has not yet completed. We are liaising with Waka Kotahi to get the site clear as soon as possible for the afternoon peak
traffic flows.
Please note that the repair work is complicated and we may have to continue work tomorrow depending how the repair holds.
We will provide a further update following the next status meeting later this afternoon.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 11 – 09:30 23 July 2021
Good Morning
Work continued overnight in preparation for repair of the Paremata rising main and enabled us to be track for repair today. Crews are now established on site to
commence excavation and sucker trucks deployed at key sites to minimise discharge during the course of repairs. Due to the fragile nature of this pipe the repair is
complicated and further failures are possible. We will make all efforts to contain wastewater however expect some overflow is likely to occur.
The leaking rising main was kept in limited operation overnight and with the assistance of sucker trucks working through the night contained further wastewater discharge
from the stormwater network overflow point beneath the Paremata railway bridge crossing.
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The cross harbour pipeline was put into emergency operation for a short period overnight which identified a leak further south towards Onepoto which required
recommissioning to be abandoned. An overflow into the adjacent stormwater sump did occur for a short period, pumping was ceased which stopped the overflow and the
site cleaned up and signage placed. This fault is being investigated today and repair work will be undertaken when possible.
North bound traffic is currently reduced to one lane on SH 1 while repairs are being undertaken. We are asking residents in the area to minimise water use to assist with
our efforts to minimise overflows.
We are sending the below update at 9.45am to media and uploading to our website and social media platforms.
Attribute to Steve Hutchison Chief Advisor Wastewater, Wellington Water
Our crews are making further repairs this morning to the burst wastewater main on State Highway One, northbound, between the Aotea
turnoff and Paremata.
To reduce potential wastewater overflow, we ask residents in Whitby, Paremata, Plimmerton, Pukerua Bay, and in the northern parts of
Papakowhai to minimise water use as much as possible.
We are making all efforts to contain wastewater, but due last night’s heavy rain fall there was some overflow into the harbour.
Due the complexity of the repair, and fragile nature of the pipeline, we expect there to be some additional overflow today. We are
working to minimise this as much as possible.
Traffic management is in place and we encourage members of the public to avoid the area.
We also advise members of the public to avoid contact with coastal water in the area.
The latest advice on recreational water quality can be found at lawa.org.nz
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 10 ‐ 19:05 22 July 2021
Good evening
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Below is a media release regarding a further burst on the 525mm main.
Attribute to Steve Hutchison Chief Advisor Wastewater, Wellington Water
We are currently responding to a burst wastewater main on State Highway One, northbound, between the Aotea turnoff and Paremata.
Traffic management is in place and we encourage members of the public to avoid the area if possible.
This pipeline previously burst last Saturday and a repair was carried out on Sunday evening.
Despite the repair, our investigations showed the pipeline was in a fragile condition, and this evening’s heavy rainfall has caused a further
failure.
Some wastewater is overflowing into the harbour and work is underway to minimise this overflow.
Our crews will be preparing throughout the night to undertake a further repair in the morning.
We advise members of the public to avoid contact with coastal water in the area.
The Incident Response team will be meeting later this evening and further updates will be provided.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 9 17:45 21 July 2021
Good Evening
The clean‐up of the walking track has been completed today. Contractors will continue working on the walking track and Station Road tomorrow to enable us to conduct a
CCTV investigation of the Cross‐Harbour Pipeline. The walking track will be reopened to the public once contractors have finished their machine works.
Arrangements have been made to transition the current portable pump set up at Station Road to align with the Cross‐Harbour Pipeline being offline and its effect on the
existing pump stations. This will be done before the school holidays end this weekend to minimise impact on the Paremata School. The school has a side entrance off
Station Road.
The next update will be provided once pressurised testing has been completed.
Kind regards
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Glenis
UPDATE 8 – 15:48 Tuesday 20th July
Good afternoon
In taking pressure off the Paremata rising main, we recommissioned the cross‐harbour pipeline from Station Road to Onepoto. In doing this, a blockage occurred on the
walking track (Onepoto side), resulting in overflow into the Harbour for under two hours. In response, the pumps were turned off and the flow diverted back to the rising
main.
This means that the rising main continues to operate under stress and we are monitoring the situation. We have ordered additional fittings to enable further repairs.
We will also work towards making the cross‐harbour pipeline serviceable by pressure testing with potable water, as a viable alternative to the Paremata rising main should
it be needed.
The walking track has been temporarily closed.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 7 – 15:05
Good afternoon,
We have now completed the repair and backfilled the excavation, which has contained the discharge of wastewater.
It has been identified that the condition of the AC main is in very poor condition and likely to fail at some stage in the near future.
To manage this risk, we are arranging for specialised repair fittings and pipe to be available on site.
Temporary mobile pumps have been established in Station Road to manage any high wet weather overflows that may occur.
The two north bound lanes on State Highway 1 will be open this afternoon by 3:30pm.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Josh
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UPDATE 6 – 15:45
Good Afternoon
We’ve made good progress on the repair to the wastewater pipe in Paremata with the pipe excavated and the new pipe being installed now.
The work involves digging a trench in the SH1 median strip, removing the damaged section, and replacing it with a new pipe, then infilling and cleaning up the area ready
for north lane of SH1 to be reopened.
While we’re expecting to be able to complete the repair today, we’re going to need to revisit the site to complete some tidy up work. This will be carried out in the next
week and during off peak traffic.
A further update will be provided approximately 18:30 this evening.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 5 – 13:15
Good Afternoon
We currently have 4 pumps on site at Station Road pumping to the stormwater over flow point, Station village pump station pumping through the Cross Harbour Pipeline
as well as 12 Wastewater tanker trucks carting from upstream to Porirua City Centre pump stations. This has enabled us to control the flow of wastewater at the burst site
sufficiently to commence repairs.
We are now starting on the excavation work in preparation for the repair of the pipe.
Further updates will be provided as the work progresses during the afternoon and early evening.
Kind regards
Glenis
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UPDATE 4 – 11:10
Good Morning
We’ve had sucker trucks on site helping to reduce the overflow to Porirua Harbour and keep contaminated water away from Paremata school. Overnight they have
managed to keep up with the flow with less rain and stormwater infiltration into the network.
Work continued overnight on diverting the wastewater flow through an emergency line underneath the harbour. This line was successfully opened, and some wastewater
diverted through it to relieve the pressure on the broken main. As the main could not be fully isolated repair work was unable to be completed. Additional pumps are
being installed to assist with the diversion of the flow.
This work has been challenging due to heavy rainfall and high levels of stormwater infiltration into the wastewater network.
Today:
Contractors are on site again today working towards an urgent repair on the Rising Main.
This involves digging a trench in the SH1 median strip, removing the damaged section and replacing it with a new pipe.
As we need the pipe to be drained when we do this, the timeframe is dependent on the weather and the amount of infiltration we experience due to rainfall.
We hope to complete the permanent repair completed today before the rain starts again later tonight.
Works are expected to go into late evening tonight. A no swimming notice has been put up onsite near the harbour entrance which will remain in place for 48 hours after
the overflow stops.
We’re also asking residents in Whitby, Paremata, Plimmerton, Pukerua Bay, and in the northern parts of Papakowhai to minimise water use as much as possible.
To work on the repair, State Highway 1 has been reduced to one lane north bound (between the Aotea turnoff and Plimmerton, 200 meters north of Aotea intersection).
We’re asking people to find alternative routes or delay travelling if possible.
The Incident Response Team is meeting regularly and I will be sending out updates as the work progresses today.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for the inconvenience.
Kind regards
Glenis
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UPDATE 3 – 17:30
Good Evening
Our crews have been onsite all day working to fix the burst rising main on SH1. This work has been challenging due to the continued heavy rainfall. We are currently
undertaking temporary works to direct the wastewater flow from the main through the Cross Harbour Pipeline as an alternative path to the treatment plant outfall.
Our teams will be working through the night to carry out a temporary repair of the rising main with the aim to implement the permanent repair tomorrow once the rain
has eased.
Traffic is very congested currently in the affected area of SH1 (between the Aotea turnoff and Plimmerton, 200 meters north of Aotea lagoon).
We’re asking people to find alternative routes or delay travelling if possible.
Signs have been placed to warn people to avoid swimming in the Porirua Harbour and Social Media has warnings for pedestrians to avoid any local areas with surface
flooding as this could contain some wastewater overflow.
We’d like to thank the public for their continued patience while we work to fix this issue.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 2 – 15:30
Hi All
Work continues on the burst wastewater rising main. Contractors are on site and sucker trucks are operating to assist in reducing the overflow. Below is the media release
sent out at 15:30 this afternoon.
Update – 3.30pm
Further investigation by Wellington Water around the burst wastewater main on SH1 in Paremata has found that the incident has also caused a wastewater man hole to
overflow wastewater on to Station Road, Paremata Crescent and on some areas near the entrance of the Paremata Primary School grounds.
We are asking pedestrians to take extra care and avoid these areas.
We have a team on the ground who have cordoned off these areas with cones and people on site with signage. We also have suction trucks working in this area to control
flows.
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ENDS
The Incident team will be meeting again approximately 16:30 and we will provide a full update following that meeting.
Kind regards
Glenis
UPDATE 1 – 11:30
The Incident Response Team has met and work is underway to excavate and repair the broken pipe. A media release is going out now and is shown in it’s entirety below:
Media Release
Wastewater main burst on State Highway 1 in Paremata
Public are being asked to expect delays on State Highway 1 (SH1) in Paremata and avoid swimming in the Paremata harbour due to a burst wastewater main between the
Aotea turnoff and Plimmerton, 200 meters north of Aotea lagoon.
Wellington Water was called out to a burst wastewater main on SH1 around 8am today.
“This has caused wastewater to overflow across SH1 and into the Paremata harbour. State Highway 1 is currently down to one lane north bound and people should expect
delays,” says Sam Lister, Wellington Water’s Manager Customer Planning.
“There are nine wastewater tanker trucks on site which is helping to reduce the overflow on SH1 and crews are planning to do an urgent repair.”
Works are expected to go into late evening tonight. A no swimming notice will be put up onsite near the harbour entrance which will remain in place for 48 hours after the
overflow stops.
“With the heavy rainfall likely to cause more overflows, we’re also asking residents to conserve water as much as possible.
“We’d like to thank the public for their patience as we work to repair the burst.”
ENDS
Further updates will be provided as work progresses on the repair.
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Kind regards
Glenis
BURST WASTEWATER RISING MAIN
Response: Level 4
Response Lead: Sam Lister
Supported by: Service Delivery Team
Kia Ora Koutou
The 525mm diameter Wastewater Rising Main on SH 1 has ruptured. At this stage we are planning to do an urgent repair. There is currently a flow of wastewater across
the State Highway. The burst main has caused an overflow and will continue to do so until repaired.
The Incident Response team is being formed to manage the response. A further update will be provided approximately 10:30.
Kind regards
Glenis
Glenis Bruin – Incident Coordinator
Customer Experience Team
Ph 04 912 4470
Mob 021 346 438
Private Bag 39804, Wellington Mail Centre 5045
Level 4, IBM House, 25 Victoria Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
www.wellingtonwater.co.nz
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From:
Paul Gardiner
To:
James Snowdon
Cc:
Notifications; Steve Hutchison;
Lucy Baker
Subject:
Paremata Wastewater Riser Break - emergency works notification (s.330A(1))
Hi James,
I’ve left a message on your phone related to this, but we have made several decisions pursuant
to s.330 emergency works since last Saturday morning. We are pulling together the
documentation for the event and decision-making sequences – as I’m sure you can appreciate
this has been a complex and evolving situation, which is still ongoing.
Can you please confirm that the notifications and updates so far have been recorded as
notification of the use of emergency powers?
Nga mihi,
Paul
Paul Gardiner (he/him) Manager (RMA, Consents and Environment)
Tel 04 912 4400
DDI 04 912 4506
Mob 021 445 024
Private Bag 39804, Wellington Mail Centre 5045
Level 4, IBM House, 25 Victoria Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
www.wellingtonwater.co.nz
Document Outline
