The Lyttelton Harbour wastewater project will bring an end to the routine discharge of treated wastewater into Lyttelton Harbour.

Lyttelton Harbour Currently wastewater from Lyttelton, Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour is fully treated at wastewater treatment plants in each of the townships before being discharged through outfall pipelines into Lyttleton Harbour. The target is to have all planned discharges of wastewater to the Harbour end by 2021.

The $53 million project is being constructed in four stages and involves the installation of submarine pipes under the ocean floor to transport wastewater from Diamond Harbour and Governors Bay wastewater treatment plants to a new pump station on Simeon Quay in Lyttelton.

Wastewater will then be pumped through Tunnel Road and the new Healthcote Valley pipeline and connect to the Christchurch wastewater treatment plant(external link) via an existing pump station in Woolston.

Work is moving to a crucial phase in 2019 with work underway on phase three and phase four of the four-stage project. This includes building a new pump station in Simeon Quay and installing the Heathcote Valley pipeline. The entire project is planned for completion and commissioning by early 2020.

Work is now under way on the final phase of the Lyttelton Harbour wastewater project as we install an underground pipeline through Heathcote and Woolston. Read more on Newsline.(external link)

The four construction phases of the project

Construction of the Lyttelton Harbour wastewater project is being carried out across four phases. Learn more about the different work involved.

Phase one

A fibreglass pipeline has been installed above the Lyttelton tunnel to transport wastewater from Lyttelton. This work is being carried out in conjunction with NZTA’s fire protection upgrade work on the tunnel. 

Phase two

Phase two involved installing submarine pipelines buried approximately one metre under the seabed to transport untreated wastewater from the Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour wastewater treatment plants to Naval Point in Lyttelton. New underground pipes were installed to connect the Lyttelton wastewater treatment plant to the Simeon Quay pump station and the pump station to the Lyttelton tunnel wastewater pipe.

Phase three

We’re building pump stations at the Governors Bay, Diamond Harbour and Lyttelton wastewater treatment plants as well as a new pump station at Simeon Quay in Lyttelton. Work on this phase started in July 2018 and is currently planned for completion and commissioning in early 2020.

Phase four

Construction on this final phase started in March 2019. This phase involves installation of an underground pipeline connecting the Lyttelton wastewater system to the Christchurch Wastewater system via Heathcote and Woolston. The Heathcote Valley pipeline will run from the Heathcote side of Tunnel Road, under Bridle Path Road and through Port Hills Road to Mauger Drive and Scruttons Road, under the paddocks parallel to Tunnel Road, under the Heathcote River and connecting to the Woolston pump station in Alport Place. From there the wastewater will be pumped through to the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bromley. Construction is currently planned for completion and commissioning in early 2020. 

Project background

In 2009 the Council approved a joint working party's recommendation to pump untreated wastewater from Lyttelton, Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour plants through the Lyttelton road tunnel to the Christchurch wastewater treatment plant(external link) in Bromley.

The target is to end all routine discharges of wastewater to Lyttelton Harbour by 2021.

Consultation

Consultation on the scheme took place from 16 September to 12 October 2015 and public drop-in sessions were held in Diamond Harbour on 23 September 2015 and in Lyttelton on 24 September 2015 and 3 March 2016.

During the consultation period 44 submissions were received.

Responses were analysed and public feedback, together with other aspects such as cultural impact, environmental impact, cost, time and ease of construction, were used to support resource consent applications lodged with Environment Canterbury and the Council on 31 March 2016.   The resource consents were granted in October 2016.

Based on consultation feedback, we are burying submarine pipelines approximately one metre under the seabed to transport untreated wastewater from the Diamond Harbour and Governors Bay Wastewater Treatment Plants to Lyttelton. Wastewater will then then be pumped to the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant through the road tunnel via a new pump station at Simeon Quay in Lyttelton.

An overland road option for the Governors Bay pipeline was discarded as a result of the public consultation. 

Updates

Check out the latest updates on the Lyttelton Harbour wastewater project. We distribute newsletters and start work notices throughout the project. 

Newsletters

Start work notices