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SUPPLIED / Wellington Water
Sewage flowed onto the street in central Wellington after a sewage pipe burst.
Sewage has spilled onto a road in central Wellington and people are being warned to avoid swimming in a nearby lagoon after a sewage pipe burst in the city center.
The pipe broke at the intersection of Victoria and Mercer streets in the Wellington CBD on Monday afternoon, causing sewage to leak onto the road.
A Wellington Water spokeswoman said that although none of the sewage was believed to flow into the harbor, people should avoid swimming in Whairepo Lagoon as a precaution.
The leak is also causing traffic delays. Eight traffic management sites were up and running across the city at 3 p.m. Traffic at the intersection of Victoria and Mercer streets has been reduced to one lane.
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Water from the leak is being diverted to a storage tank at the Michael Fowler Center.
Wellington Water staff, along with contractors, are cutting asphalt and digging a trench to repair a 300mm cast iron main near Pump Station 7, the company said in a statement.
Staff would monitor all nearby overflow points to confirm whether sewage had been spilled into the port and to give advance warning of any potential overflow.
As of 4 p.m., workers were still investigating whether the pipe could be repaired or if major repairs were needed, but they were aiming to fix it Monday night.
Ross Giblin
Workers repair a broken pipe on Wellington’s Willis St in 2019 (file photo).
The company had reported the leak to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Regional Public Health Department.
He also issued an apology on Twitter for any inconvenience caused by the pipeline explosion.
It was not the first time that a broken pipe caused traffic problems in Wellington.
The region is known for its leaky pipes, a third of which is estimated to be in poor or very poor condition.
Almost exactly one year ago, a water pipe that broke in Wellington’s CBD blocked a bus lane.
