Wastewater from a leak at the Albert Town pump station has not entered the Clutha River, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has confirmed.

On Wednesday afternoon (January 10) wastewater gushed from a leak near the treatment plant downhill along State Highway 6 and at the time QLDC was unsure if it had reached the river.

By 2pm today (Thursday January 11), QLDC had restored normal service and confirmed wastewater did not spread as far as the river.

“Council contractors worked through the night to identify the full nature of the fault, repair it and mitigate the flow of wastewater,” QLDC said in a statement.

“This was achieved by bypassing part of the flow to the old Albert Town oxidation pond behind Jack Young Place, and removing the remainder via a fleet of sucker trucks.”

A clean-up process has begun for the wastewater which spilled onto the verge and roadside of SH6.

QLDC said the spill stayed within the roadside verge and did not spill into neighbouring properties.

“The clean-up process here is likely to involve pumping away the diverted flow, scraping away the top layer of vegetation and disinfecting the site,” the council said.

The failure occurred in a steel section of the rising main (which conveys sewage from a station to a point of discharge) located near the pump station just off the Mt Iron roundabout.

“This is being thoroughly inspected so we can understand the root cause,” QLDC said. “An interim repair will remain in place while a replacement section is fabricated. 

“Based on the available storage capacity and estimated time to install the replacement section we’re confident that incoming flows can be managed effectively in the meantime.

“There will be a noticeable odour until this work is completed and we thank local residents for their patience and understanding after this unusual and unexpected event.”

PHOTO: Wānaka App