Watercare has started a $3.6m project that will help reduce wastewater overflows and improve water quality in Warkworth.

The Warkworth Wastewater Rehabilitation Project, which Watercare and construction partner March Cato kicked off in August, will see more than 75 manholes rehabilitated and 3.5km of wastewater pipelines relined.

Work will take place on public reserves, roadways, berms and some residential properties on and to the north of Hill St, including Victoria Street, Belmont Place, Wainoni Place, Lyttle Lane and Albert Road. 

Watercare aims to have these works completed by early December. These works follow on from the wastewater rehabilitation works carried out over the past year on Woodcock Road and its surrounding streets.    

Watercare project manager Johan Gerritsen says the wastewater rehabilitation project will play a significant role in helping to reduce the risk of overflows, contamination of local waterways and network failures.

“The project will ensure that the existing wastewater pipes can continue to transfer wastewater safely and consistently through our network to our treatment plants for many more years.”

Gerritsen says to help meet the end-of-year deadline and minimise disruptions, the project team conducted investigations earlier this year to determine what work was needed.

“Like many of the wastewater network rehabilitation projects we have completed this year in Takapuna and Newmarket, the pipeline relining work will be carried out using trenchless technology.

“Using this technology, we can complete the relining work and rehabilitate the manholes and pipeline with minimal impact on the community and without taking the pipe out of service.  

“Relining the pipeline instead of replacing it is not only less costly and more time efficient but also a lot better for the environment and is much less carbon intensive. 

“Plus it will allow us to get the job done much faster than if we had to dig a trench and install a replacement pipeline.”