Effect of the recent earthquakes on Selwyn infrastructure
Annual Conference
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At 4:35AM on Saturday 4th September 2010, the Darfield earthquake struck in the Selwyn District. The effects of the earthquake on infrastructure have been felt throughout the district both locally and more strongly and recently with the Christchurch aftershock.
When the earthquakes occurred, they resulted in a number of short term issues which needed to be overcome in haste to restore services. The most significant of these was the complete decommissioning of the Pines Wastewater treatment plant for a week to undertake repairs.
Medium and long term issues related to the disposal of wastewater within the district have also been highlighted as a result of the effect on CCC’s ability to accept wastewater following the Christchurch aftershock. The $50 million Eastern Selwyn Sewage System (ESSS) conveyance and treatment upgrade has been planned since 2004 and was due for completion in late 2012. Investigation into the completion of this project using options for fast tracking and undertaking medium term emergency related discharges of partially treated wastewater have been at the forefront of recent work.
Although the effects faced by Selwyn District are minor compared to those faced by Christchurch City and Waimakariri District, they are significant none the less and make for some more interesting work stories.