Pukerua Bay. Photo / File
People are being told to stay out of the water at Pukerua Bay after a slip broke a wastewater pipe in the area.
Sampling will begin at the beach outlet tomorrow morning and warning signs have been installed.
Wellington Water advised a slip on Pa Rd has broken a 150mm wastewater main, which services 12 properties.
“Our crews have plugged the wastewater main at the break and a sucker truck is on site, managing the flow.
“There are three residents in close proximity to where the sucker truck is operating and we are working with them and PCC (Porirua City Council) Emergency Management to ensure that, after hours, as the truck continues to operate, their needs are considered.”
A contractor was on-site and working on a temporary service solution, Wellington Water said. A geotechnical engineering company has also been brought in to assess the slip to ensure the site is safe prior to any works being undertaken.
Water at the Pukerua Bay beach outlet will be sampled once a day, until a temporary repair is in place.
Meanwhile, contractors have spent the day assessing the sites where landslides caused two state highways to close yesterday.
The southbound lanes of State Highway 59 in Porirua and the northbound lanes of State Highway 2 in Lower Hutt were both closed for hours after heavy rains lashed the region, causing landslides and felling trees.
A new climate change report has revealed rainfall in Wellington could increase by up to 40 per cent during the most extreme bursts of weather, leading to more severe flash flooding and slips.
The region experienced its wettest winter on record this year, which resulted in hundreds of slips falling across Wellington City.
The city council received 1143 calls reporting slips throughout July and August – three times the amount of last year, and six times the amount of 2020.
The report called Climate change projections for west of Wellington’s Tararua and Remutaka Ranges was prepared by Niwa and updated the outlook for the region stretching from Ōtaki to Wellington City.
Rainfall on Wellington’s wettest days is projected to increase by up to 16 per cent by the middle of this century under a mid-range emissions scenario. This increase would double by the end of the century under the high-emissions scenario.
The report said an increase in rainfall of up to 40 per cent for the most extreme rainfall bursts over very short durations, which could increase the severity of flash flooding and slips.
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