Trenching idea hits roadblock

PIPELINE UPDATE

The historic Norfolk pine in Queen Street just may be Warkworth retailers’ new best friend.

It appears that Watercare had not factored in the tree’s root system when it put forward a plan to trench a sewer line through the middle of the main street.

The sewer, which will hook up to the pump station in Lucy Moore Park, is needed to meet growth in the town’s northern area.

One Mahurangi co-chair Dave Stott says Watercare’s choice for the preferred pipeline route seems to have been based on ‘high level evaluation’ without enough consideration of the specific challenges on the route.

“Norfolk pines have shallow root systems which are normally three times larger than their canopy,” Stott says. “If Watercare starts trenching anywhere near the tree they will have to have an arborist on site to say which roots they can and can’t touch. It will be virtually impossible.

“And then there is the high water table, which also doesn’t appear to have been taken into account. It seems they have done no geotech investigations at all.”

Last week, engineers representing the town and Watercare sat down together for the first time to discuss two alternative plans – one was for directional drilling through town, which would cause less disruption to shops and businesses. This option would require a pump at the Lucy Moore pump station. The second option was to take the pipe down the Mahurangi River, which would avoid Queen Street altogether, but was not without its challenges and costs, as it could involve stabilising the riverbank.

The talks were forced on Watercare because of the outcry from business owners, concerned that 12 months of construction outside their shops could force them to close.

Stott welcomes the cooperative approach and believes the discussions, which are continuing, are a step towards a better outcome.

“But the fight is far from over,” he adds.