Cuba St pipe to blame for wastewater gushing into Wellington Harbour

Monday, 6 January 2020

Up to 100 litres of contaminated water per second gushed into Wellington Harbour after a wastewater tunnel collapsed in Willis St in December 2019.

An incorrectly-laid pipe under Cuba St has been identified as the cause of wastewater spilling into Wellington Harbour.

Wellington Water spokesman Alex van Paassen said workers found the cause of the leak on the central city street overnight Sunday.

The mistake happened when a wastewater pipe in the Cuba St building was incorrectly connected to a stormwater pipe on the public main, van Paassen said.

Workers hope they have found the cause of wastewater spilling into Wellington Harbour.

It would have most likely happened when pipes were re-laid following maintenance or repair work.

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Wellington Water says the leak was probably caused by incorrectly-laid pipes under a building on Cuba St. (File photo)

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The contamination had led to no swim signs being placed along Wellington Harbour near the Whairepo Lagoon and the Oriental Bay diving platform.

It was a separate issue to the burst pipe on Willis St which resulted in wastewater gushing into Wellington Harbour the weekend before Christmas.

'We're working with the building owner to get that fixed as soon as possible. Hopefully that will knock this on the head.

'Now that we've tracked down what looks to be the major source, as soon was we can get that fixed, that will help us get on with the work and then take the signage down.'

Once the building owners had been contacted, the pipes could be corrected within a day, although it could take longer, van Paassen said.

He did not want to name the building involved but said it was in mid-Cuba St.

'You'd imagine they'd want to work pretty quickly to get it remedied.'

Water readings should clear up within two to three days after the problem was fixed.

Meanwhile, the section of Willis St affected by the burst pipe will remain closed until at least the end of February while a new pipe is laid, van Paassen said.