Improvements to our water reticulation network are necessary to maintaining a secure, quality water supply. While we make every effort to keep the water flowing during this work, sometimes we need to shut the supply off temporarily to complete the repairs, renewal or cleaning of the pipes.
Mt Wellington Water Supply Upgrade Project
Watercare is working to improve the supply of water to Auckland’s eastern suburbs. The Mt Wellington Water Supply Upgrade is a multi-million dollar project which involves constructing 5.5 km of new pipeline and will double the capacity of the existing system. The project is being undertaken in five stages and is expected to be completed in 2010 (read more about Watercare’s project).
Watermain renewals
There are approximately 2,200 kilometres of water pipes in the city. Most pipes were installed in the 1940s or 1960s, but some are over 100 years old. They are made from a range of materials such as cast iron, asbestos, concrete lined steel and plastic. Watermain renewal projects primarily include the upgrading or replacing these pipes to improving the water quality and reliability of supply.
Safety Notice
Electrical earthing capability may be compromised for properties using old metal water pipes for electrical earthing. More...
Planned shutdowns
To minimise any inconvenience to you during any maintenance and repair work, we will endeavour to:
- Not shut the water off at peak times, 7am - 9am and 4pm - 7pm.
- Give you written notice of a planned shutdown, that may affect your water supply, a minimum of three days in advance
- You can also contact our Service Centre at any time for further information on the work.
Firemain upgrades
Providing water for emergency and essential services such as hospitals and the Fire Service is vital. The firemain upgrade programme replaces critical pipes in the water network and is designed to improve the service we provide to fire fighting organisations and other key customers across Auckland. We enhance the pressure and flow available as well as replacing old fire hydrants where necessary to ensure that we have the capacity to support the Fire Service in essential operations.
Watermain relocations
The Auckland City Council, Transit New Zealand and Metrowater work together on new roading initiatives. Metrowater relocates and replaces sections of the water network located under the road during these works, ensuring that the water network is accessible through the footpath or carriageway for current and future maintenance. The aims is to minimise any inconvenience to the public and reduce the possible effects on traffic flows.
Water quality sampling and testing
As part of our integrated water quality management system, our water quality engineers are continually monitoring and testing water from more than 200 sampling points throughout Auckland City. The samples are used to monitor water quality standards and to gather data for network modelling and development of emergency response plans for major contamination incidents.
