Pump station lifting project gets underway

Three Westport pump station cabinets will be raised above the one in one-hundred-year flood level as part of the Betterment Programme funded by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).  

The three stations to be raised are situated at the river end of Rintoul Street, river end of Roebuck Street, and a further site 100m north of the Derby St/Balfour St intersection. 

Raised platform structures, complete with stairway access systems will be constructed at each site to lift the cabinets 1.5 - 2.5 m above ground level, ensuring continued operation in the event of future flooding. 

Group manager infrastructure services Michael Duff says: “Lifting these pump stations not only ensures that the valuable hardware is protected from flooding but will also accelerate the habitation of Westport after a major flood event as the pumps can be switched back on immediately after the flooding has subsided.” 

With the pump stations secured above flood level, they can be reactivated to pump away sewage immediately after floodwaters subside. In the past, when these stations have experienced flood damage, there has been a delay waiting for replacement parts and repairs before they could be reactivated.   

This betterment work is part of a wider $17.1m programme of flood recovery infrastructure repairs, funded by NEMA, and aims to safeguard important infrastructure from future flooding events. 

The pump station lifting is part of the second phase of water infrastructure improvements, which consists of work that can logically and cost-effectively be performed as part of, or directly after, emergency works.  

-ENDS- 

For further information please contact: 
Group Manager Infrastructure Services 
Michael Duff 
Michael.Duff@bdc.govt.nz