Construction has begun on the final stage of the Southern Pipeline – the Harbour Crossing – with drilling works set to start from next month.
The past decade has seen rapid growth in Tauranga, and with rapid growth comes pressure on our key infrastructure. Tauranga City Council is constantly working to meet the needs of our growing community, and the Southern Pipeline is one of our largest current projects.
The Southern Pipeline will relieve pressure from the Chapel Street Wastewater Treatment Plant by redirecting much of the city’s wastewater to the treatment plant at Te Maunga, which has extra capacity. The project began construction in 2009 and will be fully operational by December 2017.
The Harbour Crossing is the final stage of the Southern Pipeline construction. It will connect the wastewater network between Memorial Park and Matapihi, through a pipeline that will run deep beneath the harbour bed, at a depth of up to 35m. Construction of this section began in February and will be completed by December.
“The Southern Pipeline is a major project for Tauranga City Council, and the Harbour Crossing is being constructed with the highest quality materials, equipment and technology,” says Tauranga City Council Project Manager Steve Wiggill.
“We are using a method called horizontal directional drilling, which is the least invasive for the environment.”
Mr Wiggill says people will notice work happening over the next nine months - on Jordan Field at Memorial Park, and at the end of Matapihi Road.
“Drilling is due to begin from Matapihi in late-May / June, after which the pipes will be winched through from Memorial Park – a protective steel casing pipe first, with a lifetime of 100 years, and the polyethylene wastewater pipe pushed inside, second,” he says. Mr Wiggill says that following construction, both work sites will be reinstated to their previous state or better.
“Once completed, the Southern Pipeline will provide essential infrastructure to our growing city, future-proofing our city and protecting our environment.”