Work is continuing on upgrades to Picton’s earthquake damaged sewer pipes.

From Monday 27 February contractors will be working in Waikawa Road and Hampden, Devon and Scotland streets relining sewer mains and lining lateral connections to property boundaries.

Council’s Three Waters Projects Engineer Graeme Jackson said pipes in the area had been inspected by CCTV and those requiring repair were identified.

“We found a lot were cracked or broken and leaking,” he said. “When it rains the sewer pipes often leak the other way causing infiltration which causes issues for us with pumping and wastewater treatment.”

Damage to the pipes probably occurred during earthquakes and subsequent ground movements, he said. Rather than replace the pipes, which would be expensive and disruptive, new stronger PVC pipes are installed within the existing pipe, helping sewage to flow and avoid leaks.

Work is expected to take about six months, however Mr Jackson said that was dependent on whether other issues were found during the course of the work.

Traffic management will be in place and there may be some diversions and stop/go. Some of the work will take place at night to keep disruption to a minimum, particularly in the CBD and industrial areas, and to access critical sewer manholes in the middle of main roads.

Residents should only be affected when lateral connections are made to their properties, but contractors will work with them to coordinate and try to keep these minimal.

“Due to the nature of this work the contractors and I have had a lot of contact with residents and business to resolve any issues beforehand,” Mr Jackson said.

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