Te Henui pump station, next to the New Plymouth Roller Sports Club in Autere East End Reserve, is a key facility for transporting wastewater from New Plymouth city to the New Plymouth Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A key piece of equipment called a Gibault, which is essentially a large ring that connects two sections of the pump station’s 750mm diameter pipeline, deteriorated suddenly in November last year. We successfully made a temporary repair in November and now that necessary parts have arrived, we’re able to work on a permanent fix.
A critical first step in this two-to-three week project is installing a bypass around the faulty section of pipe so that wastewater continues to get to the treatment plant while the repair is made. Because the pump station has no storage capacity, we have to install the bypass overnight – from 10pm on Wednesday 13 March – when wastewater flows are at their lowest. Note: this date might change if there is rainfall; you can contact us at NPDC if you want to check the latest information on the start date.
On the first night, the work will involve using heavy machinery, cranes and concrete cutting saws so there will be some unavoidable noise overnight from 10pm on Wednesday 13 March. There will also be pumping noise during daylight and night time hours in the following days. We apologise for the inconvenience.
A section off the end of Buller Street will be closed overnight on Wednesday 13 March, reopening in time for morning use. Please follow the diversion signs.
A key part of our planning is to prevent any overflows during the bypass installation. Te Henui pump station has no storage capacity so we’ll let wastewater back-up in the pipes while we install a bypass around the damaged Gibault, which will take place overnight when wastewater flows are at their lowest.
If necessary, we’ll have use of the disused sewage tunnels beneath Buller Street to pump wastewater to as backup storage. We’ll also have a sucker-truck on standby in case of any spills on-site.
Was this page useful?
Page last updated: 10:30AM Wed 13 March 2024