At approximately 4:30am this morning a water main burst at the corner of Hunter Street and Jervois Quay in the Wellington CBD.

Wellington Water has shut down the water to stop flooding and crews are currently on-site for clean-up and repair. Two properties have been affected by this shutdown, and Wellington Water is providing water to affected customers in these locations. Updates on traffic management and the expected time frame for the restoration of water supply will be provided on Wellington Water’s social media channels.

The breakage was in a 200mm diameter cast iron water main which was laid in 1900, and refurbished in 1970 by spraying concrete around the interior to extend its working life. It has only one previous recorded failure.

The main was programmed for replacement within the 2030-2040 period. Failure history is a key component in determining priority for replacement, so when faults occur in a pipe its renewal timing is reassessed. A sample of the pipe has been taken today for laboratory analysis, including a metallurgical assessment of its effective thickness and strength. This will further inform deterioration modelling of this type of pipe in Wellington.

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