Like a giant sea snake, sewage pipeline is manoeuvred into position

DAVID HALLETT

PIPELINE: the latest section of Christchurch's ocean sewage outfall was laid on the seabed at South New Brighton yesterday.

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The latest section of Christchurch's ocean sewage outfall -- looking like a down-under relative of the Loch Ness monster -- was laid on the seabed at South New Brighton yesterday.

The $87 million outfall project includes seven lengths of the polyethylene pipeline, each weighing about 1000 tonnes. The ocean section will be joined to a pipeline through a tunnel from the Bromley treatment plant to carry sewage 3km out to sea.

Tunnelling beneath the Avon-Heathcote Estuary and under parks and property at South Brighton to link up with the seabed pipeline has been completed. The tunnelling used an automated boring machine which will be recovered when the pipeline is connected to the tunnel in about two months.

The pipeline sections are made in Lyttelton and stored on the harbour seabed. They are floated to the South Brighton construction site and then sunk.

- © Fairfax NZ News