The trucks hauling human waste around Wellington's south coast to a landfill will finally stop now a sewer pipe has been repaired.
Max Vollenbroich of German firm Amex-Sanivar helps guide the folded and taped high strength liner towards the sludge pipe. Photo: Supplied / Mike Nelson Havoc Cam Ltd
The "turd taxis" have been making about 150 round trips a day driving the sludge from the Moa Point treatment plant to a landfill since two pipes failed in January.
Engineers from Germany were flown in to help with the repairs and the lockdown restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic meant they went into quarantine for two weeks before starting work.
A liner fitted to the first of two 1.8km pipes two weeks ago has now been tested and the pipe is now up and running.
The liner was manufactured in Germany and shipped to New Zealand under urgency during the level 4 lockdown. Photo: Supplied / Mike Nelson Havoc Cam Ltd
The second pipe is expected to be fixed in about three weeks.
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster said completing the repairs under lockdown rules has been difficult, and he thanked residents for their patience.
"Covid-19 created a number of challenges for these critical and highly technical major projects, from the border closure and disruption of international freight through to the need for social distancing protocols on site.
"In that context, Wellington Water and its contractor partners have done a fantastic job to reach these milestones," Foster said.
Mayor Andy Foster and councillor Sean Rush visit the site with Josh Wright and Elliot Altham, right, from consulting engineers Stantec. Photo: Supplied / Wellington Water
The trucking and repair work is estimated to cost the Wellington City Council at least $16 million.
Owhiro Bay Residents' Association spokesperson Eugene Doyle said it was a great day for their community and the city, and he thanked the truck drivers who worked around the clock.
Wellington Water chief executive Colin Crampton said having one pipeline back online means the trucking of the sludge can stop immediately.
He said the second pipe is a backup and also allows large volumes of sludge to be transported more efficiently.