Watercare kicking off $20 m wastewater upgrade

The construction of the 1.75km pipeline is one of the many key infrastructure projects that Watercare currently have in the works in the Rosedale and Mairangi Bay areas.

Although it plans to carry out much of the work in Windsor Park and Centurion Reserves, Watercare has acknowledged that people may experience disruptions along Apollo Drive and Centurion Drive such as reduced on-street parking, lane widths, speed limits and pedestrian detours.

Project manager Dirk Du Plessis says to help mitigate disruptions, we plan to dig, construct, and connect the 1.75km pipeline from Windsor Park to the Rosedale Wastewater Treatment plant simultaneously.

“We totally get people’s frustration when it comes to building pipeline infrastructure along busy roads like Apollo Drive. That is why – when it comes to expanding our wastewater network – we aim to design pipeline routes and construction methodology that cause the least disruption,” said Du Plessis.

“For instance, we’d originally planned to have the wastewater pipeline going all the way along Constellation Drive and then up to the Rosedale Wastewater Treatment Plant connection point. But given the impact this would have had on commuters, we settled on a new route that will be quicker, more cost effective and less disruptive.”

Besides altering the pipeline route, Watercare have also been selective in the construction materials and methods they will use to construct the pipeline.

“To install the 800 mm diameter polyethylene pipes, the team is using horizontal directional drilling and pipe jacking techniques that allow us to get the job done more safely for us and the public, faster and to a higher quality too,” Du Plessis said.

“Horizontal directional drilling is also better for the environment than open trenching as it lessens the impact on the surrounding existing residential assets.

“Using these best practice methods and construction materials will help us reach our sustainability target of reducing carbon emissions in infrastructure by 40 per cent.”

Completion of this project is planned for early 2023.

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