Completion of essential water services infrastructure flood repairs offers a window to the past

Westport’s essential water infrastructure damaged in the July 2021 and February 2022 severe weather events has now all been repaired as part of a $2.512 million programme of work.

The final repair in this programme was to the outfall of the Brougham Street stormwater main, known to council staff as the ‘Brougham Street brick arch’ due the brick construction of the stormwater pipe that completes this stormwater main.

The excavation associated with this repair allowed council staff a once-in-a-century look at the historical brickwork, which is usually buried under the surface.

This programme, which included repairing damage to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, formed part of the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) $17.1 million funding commitment to Buller District Council following the floods.

Key works completed under this essential infrastructure repair budget:

• Silt removal and cleaning of key open stormwater drains around Buller.
  
  
• Repair and replacement of critical electrical components and devices within flooded wastewater pump station electrical cabinets around Westport, including complex monitoring and measuring devices.
  
  
• Extensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera work within large areas of Westport’s silt-infiltrated underground wastewater, and notably, stormwater pipe networks. This also included the subsequent cleaning and removal of silt deposited by the floods within these critical assets.
  
  
• Repairs to Westport’s drinking water included emergency repairs and repairs to the reticulated network.
  
  
• Repairs to the access track leading to Reefton’s treated water reservoir.
  
  
• Partial financial assistance for the repair of the Waimangaroa water intake access road.
  
  
• Three thorough grit removal cleans at Westport’s wastewater treatment plant (one after each flood event, and a final clean out to remove any silt which had migrated through the network). The final clean also replaced the plant’s process-essential aeration diffusers that were identified as being damaged by grit infiltration on the clean following the February 2022 floods.
  
  
• Various minor stormwater repairs to Westport, for example the stormwater tomo repair on Domett Street, opposite Percy’s Bush.
  
  
• Final repair costs are still being received from contractors, but the cost for completion of the repair program is forecast to be $2.267M, representing good project management by council.

Work on this repair programme commenced in July 2022 and has taken just under 18 months to complete. It is great to see this programme of work delivered under budget.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Manager Infrastructure Delivery
Eric de Boer
Eric.deBoer@bdc.govt.nz