The water in Bay View is back to normal after repairs to the estuary

The two-month crisis over leaking water supply pipes to Bay View on the northern edge of Napier is over and replacements are now in use.

Napier City Council confirmed late on Thursday that water was flowing again nine weeks after the warning was issued on April 23, after cracks were discovered in pipes through Te Whanganui a Orotu (the Ahuriri Estuary), between Napier and the Borough of Bay View , which had disrupted the water supply to more than 2,000 users.

The cracks were located meters below the surface and 320 meters of pipe were inserted into the old pipe for repair.

Bay View’s secondary water main ensured that people and emergency services could still access water, but there were bans and restrictions on much of the water use.

In a statement released at around 5pm on Thursday, Napier City Council Water Strategy Manager Phil Kelsen acknowledged the help and support of residents who had to live with Level 4 and then Level 3 restrictions for a few weeks to help manage water use .

“We always encourage people to manage their water use because we need to take care of water as a precious resource,” he said. “But it is a bit difficult when restrictions are relaxed in the city and one community is left out.”

“The location of the rupture ruled out any chance of a quick repair,” he said, adding that “the challenging time has tested the resilience of our network.”

“We thank the community for their patience as we worked as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”

Level 3 water restrictions had been lifted for Bay View and were restored to Level 1, as in the rest of Napier – meaning there are no restrictions on water use.

Bay View residents have been under restrictions since the leak was discovered, and Napier City Council stopped irrigating parks and reserves.

Discussing the practicalities of returning to normal, the council said the new pipe is HDPE (high-density polyethylene).

Lengths of ten meters were joined using a hotplate heated to 223ºC, and the specialist work took place in a purpose-built trailer to ensure the air temperature remained as stable as possible.

For every degree the temperature rose above 30 degrees Celsius, a minute had to be added to the cooling time, and when the two sections had cooled and pushed or “welded” together in a paddock near Hawke’s Bay Airport, the pipe was carried outside. and the next section prepared for welding.

Once the pipe was completed, a chain of steel rods was passed through the old pipeline, attached to one end of the new pipe, and from the side of the Lagoon Farm near Prebensen Dr, pulled through the old PVC pipe that was already on his place was. since the eighties.

Once the pipe was connected, pressure testing, disinfection and further testing took place to ensure the water was safe to drink.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier at Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalistic experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sport, local events, issues and personalities.