Ōtaki wastewater gravity main
We received $29.3 million from the Crown Fund to help improve water and transport systems in Ōtaki. This money will help us make big changes to the whole network, instead of doing one project at a time.
One project involves upgrading a major wastewater pipe in Ōtaki, to make the town’s wastewater system stronger and better for current and future homes. It'll also make the system work better by reducing the number of pump stations needed.
You can read more about this on our A blueprint for Ōtaki page.
Image: We’re laying 2.7 kilometres of new wastewater pipe along Aotaki Street and Mill Road to the Old State Highway 1. See larger image [JPG 489 KB].
Progress update
Updated 23 May 2025: The major wastewater upgrade along Aotaki Street and Mill Road is making good progress. The work involves laying a new, bigger wastewater pipe, improving capacity, resilience and future-proofing the wastewater network.
Recent progress
- On Aotaki Street, the new trench has been excavated up to near Iti Street. New laterals (pipes connecting to houses) installed at seven properties.
- On Mill Road, the trench has been excavated up to near number 224. The footpath near Millhaven Place has been reinstated.
What’s next
Aotaki Street will be resurfaced up to Waerenga Road on Saturday 24 May. Excavations will continue towards Rangitira Street. The trench will be backfilled as the wastewater pipe is laid.
On Mill Road, the team will be pot holing (digging holes to locate pipes), continuing to lay more wastewater pipe. Road resurfacing will take place on Saturday 24 May.
The wastewater pipe will be laid across the Mill Road/Aotaki Street roundabout. We expect this will take in place in June/July.
The wastewater pipe will also be laid across the Mill Road/old highway roundabout. This stage of works is due to begin in September and is expected to take three months. This work will involve rebuilding the roundabout.
Background
When there's a lot of rain, the Ōtaki wastewater network can flood and overflow. This happens because of:
- network infiltration – where groundwater gets into old underground wastewater pipes
- inflow – where stormwater pipes are connected to the sewer network.
We're finding and fixing these problems as part of our everyday work.
Some parts of the wastewater network are getting old and need to be replaced and upgraded to support growth.
What we're doing
This upgrade involves laying 2.7 kilometres of new wastewater pipes. The new pipe will start at Riverbank Road, go along Aotaki Street and Mill Road, and end at Old State Highway 1. The pipe will be 800 millimetres wide on Aotaki Street and 500 millimetres wide on Mill Road. In some places it will be buried up to three metres deep.
We started construction in August 2024 and expect it will take up to 14 months. To make sure we complete the work as soon as possible, we have crews working in up to three locations along the route at the same time.
Moving wastewater
There are two main ways to move wastewater:
1. Gravity wastewater system
This system uses gravity to move wastewater downhill. The pipes slope downward from the house to the main pipe in the street, and then the street mains slope down towards the treatment plant.
Because the pipes keep getting deeper as they go downhill, it can become very difficult to lay or repair them. When this happens, a pump station is built with an underground tank to collect the wastewater. Big pumps then push the wastewater out of the tank and up to the next section of shallower gravity main, where it continues its journey to the treatment plant.
Wastewater pipes are usually the deepest pipes underground. The average depth of a gravity main is 3 metres.
Rising main
Pumps push the wastewater uphill through the pipes.