As part of ongoing flood recovery works, Watercare asked our civil team to execute the earthworks needed to shore up a cast iron water pipe that had been left hanging precariously in mid-air by a large landslide. The raw water main is the only line from the Upper Nihotupu Reservoir, so Watercare needed it fixed before winter rains undermined it more.
Because we had worked with Watercare on nearby flood remediation projects, they brought us in early to provide informal ECI input as Tonkin and Taylor geotech engineers worked through the design for reinstating a blocked culvert and installing a bigger culvert, a reinforced soil slope wall and a rip rap swale. Our project team decided the best way to meet the client’s tight schedule was to hire a former US military Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk to carry in a 3.5 tonne excavator and other essential equipment. A small helicopter transported lighter loads and the two choppers racked up more than 500 return trips during the four-month project.
A close working relationship between client, consultant and contractor was central to the success of this complex civil project in a highly inaccessible location deep in the Waitākere Ranges. A dash of Kiwi ingenuity and military airpower helped too!
As part of ongoing flood recovery works, Watercare asked our civil team to execute the earthworks needed to shore up a cast iron water pipe that had been left hanging precariously in mid-air by a large landslide. The raw water main is the only line from the Upper Nihotupu Reservoir, so Watercare needed it fixed before winter rains undermined it more.
Because we had worked with Watercare on nearby flood remediation projects, they brought us in early to provide informal ECI input as Tonkin and Taylor geotech engineers worked through the design for reinstating a blocked culvert and installing a bigger culvert, a reinforced soil slope wall and a rip rap swale. Our project team decided the best way to meet the client’s tight schedule was to hire a former US military Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk to carry in a 3.5 tonne excavator and other essential equipment. A small helicopter transported lighter loads and the two choppers racked up more than 500 return trips during the four-month project.
A close working relationship between client, consultant and contractor was central to the success of this complex civil project in a highly inaccessible location deep in the Waitākere Ranges. A dash of Kiwi ingenuity and military airpower helped too!
