Wastewater overflows are set to become less common in east Featherston after a pump station upgrade.
Wellington Water has started work on the Donald St wastewater pump station to efficiently move more water from east Featherston to the treatment plant.
The project started in May and will continue for a few months.
The pump is being moved from beneath SH53 to the berm along Donald St, improving safety.
Project lead Francois Basson said he expects the new station to have increased capacity and to significantly reduce the occurrence of wastewater overflows in the surrounding area.
He said the current station is ageing and at risk of failure, and the upgraded facility will add resilience to the network, preventing potential public health risks from overflows.
“Featherston has a number of water-related issues, and this upgrade will make a difference to quite a number of households south of SH2,” Basson said.
Wellington Water will also install an underground storage tank to store wastewater during a power outage or after a natural disaster.
The new tank will hold six hours of peak wastewater flow – enough time to set up an emergency water network.
A lack of water storage, a faulty control system, and electronic and operational issues have caused most recent wastewater overflows at or near the Donald St station.
An electrical fault at the station last Saturday caused a small overflow that has since been resolved.
The upgraded pump station will allow for a greater flow of wastewater through the network, putting increased pressure on the pipe network, so part of the project will involve renewing the existing pipe connecting the pump station to the wastewater treatment plant, preventing wastewater overflows in future years.
