Old wastewater pipes being replaced.

Traffic in Palmerston Road and Waverley Street will be disrupted over the next couple of months. Gisborne District Council is replacing wastewater (sewer) pipes along Palmerston Road between Derby and Disraeli Streets and on Waverley Street in Elgin.

The pipes are being replaced because they are at the end of their life. Stormwater, groundwater and the associated silt gets into the old pipes, blocking them up and putting pressure on the city’s whole wastewater system.

Replacing the pipes will involve digging up the road. This has been avoided in some parts of the city where wastewater pipes are being renewed by installing Cured in Place Pipes (CIPP).

CIPP involves inflating resin-soaked, polyester tubes inside the existing pipes. The pipes are accessed through manholes so there is no disturbance to the road. One continuous piece of inverted sausage-like casing is inserted inside a pipe. The casing is filled with high pressure air – instead of sausage meat – unravelling the casing into the existing pipe as it expands. Once the pipe is fully inflated, heat is applied to set the resin tight against the existing sewer pipe - a pipe within a pipe.”

The last length of pipe along Ormond Road is being renewed using the CIPP method this week. In other areas of the city - like Palmerston Road – this method is not suitable.

Council is currently planning on spending $26m on wastewater pipe renewals and upgrades between 2012 and 2022. The work will help increase the capacity in Gisborne city’s wastewater system and avoid the need to discharge wastewater to city rivers after heavy rain.

Work will begin next week (10 February) and is expected to take 8 – 10 weeks depending on the weather. Traffic may be restricted to one lane and there will be some noise during the day. Delays along Palmerston Road can be avoided by taking another route.

There may be short periods when nearby residents have restricted access to their properties. Affected residents will be notified by the contractor before this happens.

Council urges motorists, pedestrians and residents to take care and apologises for any inconvenience.

ENDS

What is Wastewater?

Wastewater is also known as sewage. It is 99% water. It includes everything that is flushed or drained down city sewer pipes:

• From baths, showers, basins, laundries, washing machines and toilets.

• Washing and other liquid wastes from shops, offices, hotels and factories

• Stormwater that enters the wastewater system through cracks in the pipes etc..

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