Four Wellington suburbs without water after pipeline breaks

People filling up from a water tanker in the main street of the Wellington surburb of Brooklyn. Photo / RNZ

By RNZ

Residents in four southern Wellington suburbs are expected to be without water for most of the day after a pipeline broke.

Wellington Water's drinking water chief adviser Laurence Edwards said crews were working to restore the supply to Brooklyn, Kingston, Vogeltown and Mornington but he could not say how long that would take.

"Unfortunately we expect the water to be out for most of the day. We realise this is less than ideal and apologise for the inconvenience to the large areas affected.

"Crews will continue to work hard to repair the pipe and we'll restore normal supply as soon as we can."

Edwards said it was too early to tell what caused the break to the pipeline, which supplies the Brooklyn reservoir.

Water tankers are available for residents of the affected suburbs today at Brooklyn Primary School, Ridgeway School and near the Brooklyn Food Market.

Workers at the site of the main break in Helen Street in the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn. Photo / RNZ

The council said there would also be two mobile water tankers driving around the wider area for those who could not reach those locations and they were looking at getting another tanker in Vogeltown.

People unable to leave their homes can contact the Wellington City Council to arrange water delivery.

Wellington's water network suffered multiple faults last year ranging from burst water mains in Karori and Aro Valley to a burst wastewater pipe in the central city.

In 2019, a sewage and wastewater pipe that served the whole city broke leading to sewage and wastewater pouring into Wellington Harbour.

- RNZ