Welcome to the leak-end: Another day, another water failure in Wellington

Saturday, 16 March 2024

An apparent burst pipe in central Wellington is the latest in a number of leaks the capital’s beleaguered water network has suffered.

The Post was sent a photograph of the scene on Aro St shortly before 12pm on Saturday.

In the image, residents of Aro St watch the water gush into the air from their homes, with bystanders taking pictures of the large leak - which has since been stopped.

Wellington Water has been approached for comment.

This comes after Wellington Water revealed it has only received half of the funding it had asked for in the region’s four main councils’ - Upper and Lower Hutt, Wellington and Porirua - draft long-term plans.

Reported by Nicholas Boyack, a report released by Wellington Water warns that investing below the recommended funding level will “exacerbate the critical risks faced by the region as well as create new risks”.

Wellington’s waste-water plants are also in bad shape, with Wellington Water board chair Nick Leggett informing the councils’ water committee on Friday that the deteriorating plants needed upgrading, least they become a threat to the environment.

Underinvestment could leave Wellington Water unable to replace pipes in the network that were failing.

“The network would continue to age and we would continue to get more leaks and the cost of repairing those leaks would continue to rise. We can’t sugar-coat that,” Leggett said.

Plans to start a water committee for the Wellington Region have been announced, with suggestions a water delivery plan will be formed by mid-2025.