Watercare fixes huge pipe blockage at Newmarket's Olympic pool

The Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre was closed on Tuesday while the extraction process took place. Photo / Supplied

Lumps of wood and a soggy mess of wet wipes and hair balls was plucked out of pipes at Auckland's Olympic pool where blockages forced the centre to close.

Workers from Auckland Council's Watercare spent close to 48 hours clearing the huge blockage from pipes inside a 15 metre deep chamber under the building after receiving a call on Monday about a wastewater spill.

The Olympic's directors made the call to close the pool on Tuesday while the work was carried out. Testing carried out by Watercare's lab team found the water wasn't contaminated by the spill or unblocking operation.

Wastewater Networks manager Suzanne Naylor described the extraction process as difficult.

"Several response teams worked long and hard to clear the blockage, conduct regular flushing and inspections with CTV cameras.

Watercare contractors spent close to two days pumping out wastewater pipes deep under The Olympic. Photo / Supplied

"Large pieces of wood from an old manhole bench were the culprit, along with non-disposable items like wet wipes, rags, soapy residue and hair."

Naylor said she was proud of the commitment and hard work everyone put into the task.

The directors of The Olympic thanked Watercare for their help and reopened the facility on Wednesday morning. They believed much of the debris came from construction during redevelopment of the pool centre around 25 years ago.

The pool was New Zealand's first 50 metre pool when it was installed back in 1940 and had hosted the Commonwealth games a decade later.

Naylor said the age of the centre contributed to plumbing issues.