Ever wondered what it takes to stop sewage overflows when a town keeps growing?

Watercare has signed a contract with McConnell Dowell to deliver the Warkworth growth-servicing pipeline, described as the final piece in a $450 million programme transforming wastewater services for the Warkworth and Snells/Algies areas, with construction set to begin in the new year.

The pipeline will run from the Warkworth Showgrounds to the new Warkworth Street Pump Station, and Watercare chief programme delivery officer Suzanne Lucas says it will “almost eliminate wet-weather overflows to the Mahurangi River” once complete, while supporting growth in northern Warkworth.

With around 20,000 more people expected to move to the area in the next few decades, Watercare says pressure on the wastewater network has made the project critical for environmental protection and public health.

Originally planned for completion in 2028, the work has been accelerated and split into two stages, with stage one due by December 2026 and stage two expected to be completed and in service in late 2027, supporting new housing north of the river.

Watercare is investing an extra $2.5 million to fast-track stage one, and says early work will include service relocations, followed by shaft excavation for tunnelling, with more construction details to be shared in the new year.

Lucas says the build is complex because it must happen while the wastewater network keeps operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Watercare says it has already completed upgrades around Kowhai Park and Great North Road, plus a town centre upgrade delivered in winter, to help reduce overflows in the meantime.

For Coasties keeping an eye on how fast-growing towns manage infrastructure strain, this is one to watch.

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