Gusher: Short-lived Whanganui water crest brings photo opportunity

Observers said workers from Veolia arrived quickly and got the situation under control. Photo / Neil Beissel

A new water fountain that appeared in Whanganui over the weekend had a brief and spectacular life.

The large plume of water appeared near the corner of Smithfield Road and Jackson Street on Saturday as Whanganui photographer Neil Beissel happened to be passing by.

“A man was standing on the road to warn drivers to avoid the leak,” he said.

“At that point, the water was just bubbling up through the tarmac and then there was a bulging effect before the water started spurting out of the road.”

Beissel said a Veolia utility truck arrived quickly and workers had the problem under control in about 15 minutes.

“The man I was speaking to had called the council’s emergency number before I got there,” he said.

“It looked quite spectacular and the plume was twice the height of the truck - about 5m I’d say.

“I took a few photos and shot some video footage.”

Whanganui District Council staff were unavailable to comment today.

The council’s contractors have been working to replace the 100-year-old stormwater pipeline along part of Smithfield Rd, Konini and London streets with an upgraded system.

The project is part of the council’s wider programme of works within its 30-year infrastructure strategy to upgrade the level of service and meet the requirements of the growing development demands throughout the network.

The work began in March last year and is now at the construction stage.

The programme includes the installation of 474m of 900mm pipe from Moore Avenue to Konini St along Smithfield Rd and London St.

The work also includes the installation of 200m of 225mm wastewater main from Moore Ave to Brooking St and along Smithfield Rd.

It is estimated that the third and final stage of the work will be completed in July.

Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014 and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.