As Aucklanders wind down for summer, Watercare is tackling the final four major flood recovery projects in its Waitākere Ranges dam catchments.

Since the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Flood and Cyclone Gabrielle, Watercare has been rebuilding pipe bridges, constructing retaining walls, and reinstating accessways damaged by slips across the western catchment area.

Watercare headworks manager James Talbot says just four of the 10 major projects in the Waitākere dam catchments are still to be completed.

“To have six major projects completed is phenomenal – and we hope to have another one finished by Christmas.

“This work is incredibly important because our western dams supply about 20 per cent of Auckland’s water – and we need the infrastructure to be not just repaired to its former state, but built to be more resilient to extreme weather events in the future.

“All our major flood recovery infrastructure projects have been incredibly complex due to their remote locations and challenging accessibility.

“To build more resilient infrastructure and better protect critical assets and passageways from future weather events, we’ve had to think creatively in designing, building, and transporting equipment and materials to each site.”

Talbot says helicopters have been particularly useful to transport equipment and materials like aggregate, soil, nails, and machinery to site.

"To complete one three-metre gabion basket retaining wall, we needed an Airbus helicopter to make 182 round trips: 82 trips for the gabion rock, 10 trips for mobilisation and reorganising the site, 60 trips to remove spoil material, 30 trips for drainage material, and 5 for demobilisation.”

Watercare is working to have all flood recovery projects in the Waitākere Ranges completed by May next year, with the first of the remaining four on track to be completed before Christmas.

“The first summer project we expect to complete is a small retaining wall on Smith’s Road.

“Completing this wall will reinstate vehicle access for staff and better safeguard the Huia Combined Raw Watermain, which transports water between our Upper and Lower Huia dams."

Other projects still to come:

• Replacing the temporary bridge supports under Quinn’s Bridge, which supports the Upper Nihotupu Raw Watermain, with permanent, robust supports that will facilitate pedestrian access for maintenance.
• Clearing two slips and constructing two retaining walls along Exhibition Drive to reinstate access to the Upper Nihotupu Raw Watermain.

“I am extremely impressed with our teams; they have done incredibly well to stabilise our sites and complete repairs to a high standard,” Talbot says.

Watercare capital delivery general manager Suzanne Lucas says the work being carried out in the Waitākere Ranges is part of Watercare’s $80 million city-wide flood recovery programme.

"A huge focus for us is to complete the final major flood recovery projects and residential connection works across the city.

“This month we have also brought the Pukekohe Water Treatment Plant back into service adding an additional five million litres to Auckland’s integrated metropolitan water network.

“We’re making great progress on the Judges Bay wastewater repair project, where we are installing a small prepackaged submersible wastewater pump station, along with a rising main and gravity sewer that will go around the Parnell Rose Garden.”

Lucas says over in the North Shore and Titirangi areas, Watercare is working to permanently reconnect the last 300 houses to the wastewater network, where temporary solutions had been in place to prevent overflows.

“Despite the challenging circumstances, most locals have been patient while we carry out works to deliver permanent solutions for the communities affected by the storm events.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for sticking by us while we work to repair the damage to our network.”

For more information on our other flood recovery projects, please see links to our previous stories below:

Three stage solution for Judges Bay (October 2, 2024)

We’re working to reinstate the flood damaged Pukekohe Water Treatment Plant ( September 18, 2024)

Over 500 houses to be permanently reconnected to wastewater network (26 July 2024)

We’re doubling down on flood recovery efforts around western dams (May 14, 2024)

Steady progress continues in first year of flood recovery (January 25, 2024)

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