Moa Point wastewater plant replacement equipment not yet ordered, Wellington Water says

Wellington Water has not yet ordered equipment to repair the Moa Point wastewater plant. Photo / Mark Mitchell

By RNZ

Wellington Water says replacement equipment to repair the failed Moa Point wastewater plant is yet to be ordered.

Early last month a blockage in the plant’s outfall pipe led to a backflow of sewage into the plant, shutting it down and forcing the closure of beaches along the city’s south coast as up to 70 million litres of untreated sewage was sent into the sea each day.

In the immediate aftermath of the fault, a room at the bottom of plant that is the size of an Olympic swimming pool was 3m deep in wastewater.

At the time, Wellington Water chief executive Pat Doughty said up to 80% of the equipment in the plant had been damaged.

A month after the shutdown, Wellington Water’s chief operating officer Charles Barker said additional equipment to repair damaged parts of the plant had not yet been ordered.

“We understand that people want answers. Which is why we are working through a thorough and robust process to understand the full extent of the damage. We’ve had specialists from Beca [engineering consultants] go through the plant and they will provide us with an assessment soon. Once we have that, this will inform our approach to repairing the plant,” Barker said.

Before details of the plant’s repair could be made public, the water services provider would have to consult on its plans with insurers and the Wellington City Council, Barker said.

“No additional equipment has been ordered as of yet. This process will take time (likely a few months) but it is important that we take the time and do this well,” Barker said.

In a prior statement, Wellington Water said the clean-up of the site was completed last week and the plant was being readied for “recovery work”.

This week the water service provider noted that the plant had remained open since the failure to improve ventilation and protect staff on-site.

“Moa Point plant was designed to be essentially airtight, in part to manage odour. We are currently working to reinstate some ventilation systems that will allow us to close off the plant, however this will mean that untreated air will be vented out of the building via the odour discharge stack (similar to a large chimney). Venting this untreated air out of the stack will help it disperse more quickly. This has a low risk of odour, but will be carefully monitored,” the spokesperson said.

Mayor Andrew Little had been approached for comment.

– RNZ