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While Warkworth businesses await Watercare’s final decision on the proposed sewer main through town, One Mahurangi Business Association has put forward alternative pipeline routes and construction options to the council-controlled organisation (CCO).
In the latest development, the business association had an engineers’ workshop with Watercare on August 14 and it was more positive than expected, co-chair Bevan Morrison said during its annual general meeting at the Bridgehouse last week.
“We workshopped a multitude of various pathways from the bridge down to the wastewater pump station at Lucy Moore Park,” Morrison said.
“A couple [of routes] down the main street, but it was a tunnel instead of open trenches so you didn’t have the same disruption. Then another one around the waterfront, which had some challenges, but surprisingly it was technically feasible and could have some amenity value.
“We felt that the technical challenges of going under the bowling club and around that way with the depth and some of the unknown geotechnical challenges would have been far too different from what they [Watercare] had already got themselves comfortable on.”
Morrison said if Watercare wanted to follow its original route down the main street and avoid all those services, it could safely drill under them because was enough clearance.
“Because you’re aiming at a deeper point that would work. Yes, there would be a couple of pits along the main street as you change angle but it would be a pit as opposed to just continuous trenches.
“They’re engaging drillers to evaluate the feasibility of trench-less methods. They won’t be able to formally confirm the trench-less method feasibility before the next meeting [between Watercare and the business association] as a geotechnical investigation report will not be completed by then.”
Morrison said feedback from Watercare was expected late September, with a follow-up meeting between the CCO and the business association scheduled for October.
“When we get that feedback on those various options, it’s going to give us some guidance on what we have to do, on how we approach it and how we’re going to have to prepare our next stage of attack,” Morrison said.
