Noise and vibration from Awatea Place pump station upgrade

Nelson City Council has been keeping residents directly affected by this project updated by regular letterbox drops and through this website.

We've had feedback from people in the surrounding area asking for updates, so will be hand-delivering this information today (27 January 2023) to properties in the surrounding streets to bring them up to speed.

This project has required sheet piling, which creates a fair bit of noise when large steel beams are being driven into the ground. The sheet piles are necessary to prevent the sides of a 4-metre-deep trench from collapsing back in on the workers - and making it easier to place the new pipes.

To make sure the trench is safe to work in our contractor has also had to run an electric water pump 24/7. This keeps the trench dry but the electric motor of the pump, while quiet, does have a hum that can be heard at night-time by some residents. The contractor has extended the height of the pump housing and installed sound suppression mats to reduce the noise. Ear plugs can help if you are affected, and Council can supply these for free if you get in contact with us using the details below.

We would also like to apologise for the delay in completing this project. Several unforeseen factors combined to create the delay including; delays to overseas material supply due to COVID-19, unexpected stormwater repair work at Awatea Place, long periods of abnormally wet weather and difficult ground conditions.

Despite these challenges, the contractor has made good progress with the completion of the main pump station structures, installation of the pipe into the Nelson Golf Course area and the near completion of the pipework along Parkers Road. The next steps involve the connection of existing pipes at Golf Road and Awatea Place intersections, the reinstatement of roads and footpath, and the decommissioning of the old pump stations.

All this work is expected to be completed over the next five months with an anticipated completion date of August 2023. However, the sheet piling work is scheduled to be completed by end of March with intermittent periods of disruptive piling over this period.

Parkers Road traffic management and road closures will remain over the next two months while we complete pipe connections. Please follow all signage when road closures and traffic diversions are in place and respect the lower speed limit.

We would like to support our contractor’s concerns about recent damage to vehicles and equipment on Parkers Road, alongside threats to staff and tampering with the traffic light system. The safety of workers is absolutely paramount, and these incidents only serve to slow down the contractors as they try to get the work done safely.

If you witness anyone damaging equipment, tampering with traffic lights, or abusing staff please report to the police, or contact the contractor. If you have information please contact the Project Engineer, Jess, via phone or email (021 0284 0199 or jess@huntercivil.co.nz) or the Site Foreman, Sam, on 027 247 1200. Otherwise, you can call the contractor’s main office on 03 381 7094.

We thank you for your patience and understanding while we carry out these complex works and apologise for any inconvenience caused while this essential work is undertaken.