Big repair bills for water pipes could soon be a reality for residents across the region

Matthew Tso / Stuff

Tītahi Bay Residents’ Association spokeswoman Michelle Laurenson compared the pipe situation in the region to the leaking house crisis and said there should be a similar financial aid package to deal with this saga.

Households in Tītahi Bay could be the first in the region with bills potentially reaching tens of thousands of dollars when Wellington Water examines the pipeline, says the Mayor of Porirua.

Anita Baker said suburban homeowners are expected to pay repair costs if burst pipes or cross-connections are found on their properties. This was the first in a series of reviews of the infrastructure linking private homes to the Wellington Water network.

The inspections over the next few months are part of the regional Knowing Your Pipes project to improve water quality by reducing the amount of wastewater entering the waterways.

Given the recent network outages in the area, which gives an indication of the cost residents are facing, she said the bills could be substantial.

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“It could be tens of thousands [of dollars]is my guess. “

The $ 250,000 project would eventually span the city, she said.

Abby Jensen, program manager for environmental water quality at Wellington Water, said other areas identified for controls are Wellingtons Owhiro Bay and Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt. The project would cover more areas, but these locations had yet to be determined.

Michelle Laurenson, representative of the Tītahi Bay Residents’ Association, said it was terrifying that people might soon find out that they are liable for bugs on the network that are not theirs.

MONIQUE FORD / things

Sewage discharge has been an ongoing problem for residents of Tītahi Bay this summer. A drain at the southern end of Tītahi Bay Beach

Comparing the situation to the leaky house crisis, she said there should be a similar financial aid package for this issue, where the costs would be shared between homeowners and central or territorial authorities.

Given the recent large number of wastewater discharges into the bay, she accepted the work was necessary but felt that better advice should be given to owners on how to fund the work.

Tītahi Bay is not a wealthy suburb, Laurenson said, and many people are struggling to make ends meet in the economic conditions created by Covid-19.

“That is terrible timing.”

Jensen said homeowners are responsible for ensuring that the pipes on their property are in good condition and installed correctly.

The work teams would not have to enter houses or buildings, but rather access the properties to conduct smoke tests and dye tracking. Public and private networks would be checked.

There have been suspicions of bugs in the Tītahi Bay network, but the extent of these problems will not be known until the investigation is complete, she said.

Baker said there would be a lot of people unable to prepay for repairs. Private owners could seek assistance from Porirua City Council to spread the bill across annual payments of $ 500, which will be added to their tariffs starting July 1.

Dominion Post

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said the potential for big bills for water pipes is a hard pill to swallow for many residents, but the work is necessary for the health of the waterways and the community.

It would be a difficult pill to swallow for many, but the work is necessary for the health of the community and the waterways, she said.

Hutt city council spokeswoman Caryn Ellis said $ 250,000 had been budgeted for the Knowing Your Pipes program in Lower Hutt. Information suggests that the city’s pipeline network was faulty.

Geoff Swainson, asset management and operations manager for Upper Hutt City Council, said pipeline network checks were carried out before Wellington Water took over management of the three water services in 2014.

“The Council is open to Wellington Water resuming this type of network assessment in the future, but certainly understands the need to prioritize this work elsewhere in the region first.”

Wellington City Council has been asked to comment.