Faulty pipes delay tunnel sewage project

The 3km tunnel which will replace the ageing Hobson Bay sewer pipeline. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The $118.6 million Hobson Bay Tunnel project in Auckland City has suffered a blow after faulty pipe fixtures mean a delay in the project's completion.

Eighteen pipeline valves needed to help control the flow of the sewerage system were tested and all 18 were deemed to be faulty.

Several problems including the fact that the fittings were made out of cast iron meant that the valves, brought in from China, could not be used.

Six of the 18 valves arrived onsite yesterday, with the rest expected to come from Australia soon.

Work on the multimillion-dollar tunnel project - running under the Orakei Ridge and Hobson Bay - has been going on for the past two years, after years of complaints about problems and the eyesore that is the 90-year-old sewage pipeline that runs across Hobson Bay.

Raw sewage spilling out from the pipe various times over the years also led to swimmers being warned to stay away from popular beaches in the area, including Mission Bay, St Heliers and Okahu Bay - with more people gunning for a new pipeline to be installed.

But Watercare project manager Mike Sheffield said that although the slight delay was disappointing for the company, as well as the public, it was not a major.

"It's really not a massive issue, looking at the overall project," he said.

"In a project that's taken eight to nine years to plan, consult and carry out, a month or so overdue is not a major."

Although it was difficult to say how much the valves would cost to replace, Mr Sheffield said valves are estimated to be worth between $250,000 and $350,000.

Contracted by Fletcher-MacDow, the tunnel was completed just under a year ago and work on the pump station in Orakei is also complete. In a letter to residents, contractor Fletcher-MacDow said work on the instalment of the valves would start next week.

HOBSON BAY TUNNEL
* $118.6 million project.
* Pipeline tunnel to carry out a quarter of the sewage from Auckland City.
* Tunnel to replace 90-year-old pipeline in Hobson Bay.
* Tunnel will be 3km and wide enough to drive a car through.
* Now set to be officially operating by February.