No swim warnings are likely to be in place for Auckland's Waitematā Harbour for up to 10 days after a sewer pipe collapsed and became blocked this week.
Many Auckland beaches have been closed after the pipe collapsed, which caused wastewater to run into the city's harbour.
A large sinkhole also formed in the suburb of Parnell.
Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne said latest inspections indicated the blockage of debris within the pipe extended around 25 metres.
"Our crews have been working around the clock to try to clear as much of the blockage as possible. Last night, by hydro-excavation — jetting water into the blockage — we were able to clear about three tonnes of material. But with a 25-metre section of debris, it's looking very unlikely that we'll be able to clear the full blockage without major excavation.
Watercare says the warning will likely be in place for up to 10 days. (Source: 1News)
"With that in mind, while we'll continue with hydro-excavation, we're now also planning to install an overland bypass pumping solution that will transfer wastewater between the manholes on either side of the blockage. This will serve two purposes — it will reduce the pressure on the pipe network and minimise the volume of overflows as much as possible."
Bourne said it would likely be the largest wastewater bypass solution that's ever been put in place in New Zealand.
"We are planning to have this operational within the next 10 days and our teams will be working around the clock to make this happen," he said.
"Until then, our recommendation for Aucklanders will be to avoid swimming, fishing and recreational activities in the Waitematā Harbour as there are currently ongoing overflows near the CBD."
Meanwhile, it will likely take several weeks to clear the blockage in the pipe and be several months before the pipe is repaired.
Auckland deputy mayor Desley Simpson told 1News there would be no impact to homes or businesses but as it was a large piece of infrastructure, it would take some time to fix.
You can check the status of Auckland's beaches here.
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