Watercare recently filed a notified resource consent application to build a record-setting underground tunnel in Warkworth, New Zealand.
According to Watercare, Warkworth – a region 64 km north of Auckland – is expected to grow significantly in population, with up to 20,000 people migrating to the area over the next few decades.
As a result, major infrastructure works will take place to cater for the forecast growth.
The tunnel will take Warkworth’s wastewater from a pump station at Lucy Moore Park to a new wastewater treatment plant at Snells Beach.
Using trenchless technology, the tunnel will be dug between 30 and 40 m below ground using a micro-tunnel boring machine (mTBM).
The resource consent application seeks to undertake earthworks to establish launch platforms for the tunnel boring machine at 584 Sandspit Road and 297 Hamilton Road, along with the establishment of temporary vehicle access and removal of riparian vegetation.
Watercare anticipates construction work on the pipeline and wastewater treatment plant will start early this year, while works on the $26 million pump station in Lucy Moore Park are already underway.
Only those assessed as being directly affected by the project can make a submission on the Auckland Council website.
For more information visit the Watercare website.