Auckland city council stormwater capital works programme: Marine Parade
Auckland City Council has been investigating the flooding on Marine Parade since 2001. and public consultations since June 2006 have led to a series of options being developed.
UPDATED: 12 OCTOBER 09
Feedback from members of the public regarding different design options has been assessed to determine the community’s preference. The feedback received has been generally positive with the majority of respondents supporting the decision to upgrade the local network.
The option most favoured by respondents involves:
- building new stormwater lines in Annan St
- relining existing stormwater lines that run down to an existing outfall on the coast adjacent to the properties at 39 & 41 Marine Parade
- repairing the aforementioned outfall and a broken pipe on the foreshore
- construction of a new pipe line to a disguised outfall structure at Sloanes Beach to accommodate stormwater during heavy storm events only (with the existing outfall used for the majority of occasions)
This option was supported because it provides the best environmental outcomes, the level disruption caused during construction is limited, it is cost effective, and because it provides for the future separation of wastewater from the stormwater network. After consideration of the Project Engineer’s Options Report and feedback from public consultation, Auckland City Council has decided to proceed with more detailed investigations of Option 2 as the preferred solution.
As a result of discussions with nearby residents, a couple of design variations to Option 2 are currently being explored. These involve removing the overland flow component from Short Street Reserve, and positioning the new outfall to Sloanes Beach behind the boat ramp in front of 33 Marine Parade instead of through the sea wall at the Reserve. This will help to move the discharge further away from the beach.
The next steps for the project are to carry on with investigations to ensure the feasibility of the revised Option 2, continue liaison with affected property owners, then lodge the necessary resource consent applications required from Auckland Regional Council and Auckland City Environments. Auckland City Council will post further website updates regarding the final design decision in due course.
The revised preliminary design solution is currently being drafted (due mid-November 2009) and will be presented to directly-affected parties shortly.
BACKGROUND
The Marine Parade catchment (where the rainwater runs into) overflows in heavy rain, discharging wastewater and stormwater into the harbour along the cliff between Cox's Bay and Herne Bay. The catchment naturally drains rainfall to a low point along Marine Parade, but houses and roads interfere with the rainwater's natural drainage and the stormwater pipes cannot cope with the volume of surface water. This leads to flooding in this area, which is not helped with the Parade's stormwater pipes having roots in them, being blocked with sludge and rubble, or cracked. A stormwater pipeline running down Short Street reserve is discharging onto the south-west corner of Sloanes Beach and flooding a property on Marine Parade. Although the council has no immediate plans to separate the current system's combination of wastewater and stormwater pipes, planned new pipes need to be large enough to cope with the stormwater flow that would result from separating this system in the future.
The objectives of the Marine Parade stormwater project are to:
For more information, please see Auckland City Council's website.