Central Wellingtonians asked to only flush loo if 'essential', after pipe bursts

Monday, 25 January 2021

Sewage flowed into the street in downtown Wellington after a wastewater pipe burst.

Three sections of road in Wellington CBD will remain closed during Tuesday's morning rush hour after a nearby pipe burst.

Sewage flowed out onto the road after the pipe ruptured at the intersection of Victoria and Mercer streets on Monday afternoon. Repairing the pipe was expected to take two to three days as it was near other critical utilities.

Eight traffic management sites across the city would remain in place on Tuesday. Mercer St would be closed, traffic on Victoria St will not be able to pass the Harris St intersection and traffic will be stopped from turning from Jervois Quay onto Harris St. Wellington Water warned commuters to expect delays during morning rush hour.

Meanwhile, residents in Te Aro and Wellington central are being asked to only flush their toilets when it's 'essential', and commuters are being warned of possible traffic delays, after a wastewater pipe burst in Wellington's CBD.

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Wellington Water is asking people who live in the streets marked in orange to avoid flushing the toilet unless it's essential after a sewage pipe burst in the Wellington CBD.

Workers repair a pipe rupture on Wellington’s Willis St in 2019. (File photo)

A Wellington Water spokeswoman said although it was believed that none of the sewage had flowed into the harbour, people should avoid swimming in the Whairepo Lagoon as a precaution.

Staff from Wellington Water, along with contractors, were cutting into asphalt and digging a trench to repair a 300mm cast iron rise main near Pump Station 7 on Monday afternoon, the company said in a statement.

By 7.40pm, the team was making good progress in managing the risk of wastewater overflow with the sucker trucks now diverting the flow to the Michael Fowler Street Storage tank.

However, to prevent an overflow into the harbour people who live in several streets were being urged to minimise wastewater use “essential flushing of toilets only please and minimal use of inside drains”.

Staff would monitor all nearby overflow points to confirm whether any sewage had washed into the harbour and to give pre-warning of any potential overflow.

The company had notified the Greater Wellington Regional Council and Regional Public Health of the leak.

It also issued an apology on Twitter for any inconvenience caused by the burst pipe.

It was not the first time a burst pipe had caused traffic woes in Wellington.

The region is notorious for its leaky pipes, a third of which are estimated to be in poor or very poor condition.

Almost exactly a year ago, a water pipe burst in Wellington's CBD blocked a bus lane.