Wellington Water says a wastewater overflow reported in Paremata on Friday evening has stopped, but questions remain after a resident reported sewage flowing again on Sunday.
The overflow was first reported about 6.30pm on Friday at the intersection of Mana Esplanade, State Highway 59, and Pascoe Avenue. Wellington Water said crews responded and the discharge had ceased.
The agency said no further work was planned because accessing the manhole would require excavation of State Highway 59. The site is being monitored remotely, with environmental controls in place in the stormwater network along Mana Esplanade. No timeframe has been given for permanent repairs.
However, one resident said the overflow appeared to resume two days later.
“It was overflowing again when I went past just after 10am Sunday 8th. I reported it to the Porirua City Council,” the resident said.
Wellington Water has not publicly responded to the report of further overflow on Sunday.
The Paremata incident comes as Wellington Water continues to manage the failure at the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant, which has seen untreated and partially treated wastewater discharged into Wellington’s south coast.
While the incidents are not directly linked, the Moa Point failure has increased scrutiny of wastewater infrastructure across the region, including Porirua, where residents have raised ongoing concerns about overflows and ageing assets.
Wellington Water has said recent heavy rainfall placed added pressure on the network.
Damage to Moa Point wastewater plant ‘as bad as we feared’ – Wellington Water
RNZ by Lauren Crimp, Senior Reporter
