Wellington wastewater leak: Fine weather but no swimming as sewage continues to flow into harbour

Wastewater discharge has led to a rahui being placed on Wellington harbour. Photo / Supplied

Fine weather is forecast but Wellingtonians won't be able to swim in the harbour as thousands of litres of sewage continues to flow into the harbour.

Local iwi have placed a rāhui on the entire Wellington harbour, including popular swimming spots such as Oriental Bay. People have been told to stay out of the water, and not to fish or collect seafood.

A wastewater pipe collapsed yesterday, necessitating the diversion of up to 100 litres of waste a second into the harbour.

The broken pipe is under Willis and Dixon Sts and serves the entire central city, taking waste into the main sewer that leads to Moa Point for treatment.

Wellington Water says crews worked overnight and to help with ongoing work there are two road closures - Willis St, between Vivian St and Manners St, and Ghuznee St, between The Terrace and Victoria St.

Motorists and public transport users have been warned to expect major delays throughout the CBD, particularly on Vivian St. State Highway 1 traffic has been advised to use Cambridge Tce, Wakefield St, Jervois Quay, Waterloo Quay and Aotea Quay as alternative routes.

Wellington Water says it is working with local businesses and residents who have been "incredibly accommodating", and it thanks them for their patience and for reducing their water use.

Yesterday, Wellington Water chief executive Colin Crampton told RNZ the breakage couldn't have come at a worse time, and it wasn't yet known how the break happened or how long it would take to fix.

Thousands in Christchurch told to boil water

Meanwhile, Christchurch City Council has told residents in parts of Shirley, Bexley, Wainoni and New Brighton to boil their water after traces of E. coli were found in the water supply. All water used for drinking, food preparation, utensil washing, brushing teeth and making ice should be boiled until further notice.

E. coli was found in water samples taken from the Keyes pump station, which provides water for about 2000 homes.

"The boil water notice will remain in place until laboratory tests confirm the water is safe to drink,'' said council reticulation and maintenance manager Tim Drennan.

"Bringing water to the boil is sufficient to kill bugs. If you cannot boil water, treat it by adding one teaspoon of household bleach per 10 litres of water and leave for 30 minutes.''