Council advises Waipawa River caution while repairs carried out

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council are working closely with Te Whatu Ora Health Hawke’s Bay and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to manage the impacts of a damaged wastewater pipe that is likely causing the temporary discharge of wastewater into the Waipawa River.

Council’s Three Waters team discovered a leak between wastewater and stormwater manholes at the intersection of Ruataniwha Street and SH2 in Waipawa during maintenance work carried out as part of Council’s ongoing infrastructure renewal programme last night (Thursday evening).

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Chief Executive Doug Tate says that Council moved quickly to inform Regional Council and Te Whatu Ora, and its teams are working to fix the issue and assess its effect on the river. Mr Tate says that the damage had either been caused by the jetting of a blocked pipe last night, or was pre-existing.

“We take any issue that impacts our local environment extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to ensure this leak is fixed as soon as possible. Our teams will work through the weekend to complete repairs.”

“The leak may have an impact on the river; and as a precaution, we advise people not to swim or fish in the area downstream of Waipawa Bridge until warning signs have been removed,” says Mr Tate.
 
Mr Tate says that alongside the urgent repairs, Central Hawke's Bay District Council is also working to understand the cause and extent of the fault.
 
“As part of our maintenance schedule we are working through the district’s three waters network to identify and fix issues such as these. Repairing and replacing ageing infrastructure is a key part of Council’s 2021-31 Long Term Plan, and through our #bigwastewater story we are prioritising investment in repair and renewal. Through this wide-ranging programme of work we can proactively identify leaks like this one."

Water samples from the Waipawa River have been collected and sent for analysis, with results due in the coming days.

28 October 2022

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