MOA POINT SLUDGE UPDATE

The Team from Wellington Water

Trucking operations are continuing as an alternative to the sludge pipeline between Moa Point Treatment Plant and the landfill at Carey’s Gully.

Investigations have located the point of failure and work is under way to plan a repair with a temporary bypass, as well as a long term fix. It will be a complex job, because wastewater also flows within the tunnel towards Moa Point, making for dangerous working conditions.

With the pipeline out of action, there is a risk that if the trucking option is interrupted for 24 hours or more, some sludge may need to be discharged via the long outfall pipe that carries treated wastewater out to Cook Strait. Trucks are currently keeping up with daily demand, however as the landfill and treatment plant weren’t designed to manage sludge from trucks, there remains a risk that we may have to discharge sludge from the outfall.

When the plant was built, the intended alternative to pumping sludge to the landfill in the event of a significant failure was to discharge it via the long outfall. Public expectations have changed since then however, and Wellington Water and teams of contractors are making every effort for this not to happen.