Up to 1000 Porirua homes without water after multiple mains burst

Wellington Water have apologised to Porirua residents affected by multiple burst water mains, leaving many homes without access to water.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker described the water disruptions as serious and affecting up to 1000 properties.

"A pressure valve has burst, which has then cut off the water in Cannons Creek and parts of Ranui," she said.

A Wellington Water spokesperson said the cause of the disruption was a faulty pressure-reducing valve situated at Cannons Creek.

"The valve opened automatically after the initial burst in Champion Street. This caused the lower Porirua network to experience increased pressure from the Porirua High Reservoir. The increase in pressure resulted in the weaker spots in the water mains bursting," said the spokesperson.

The known network outages are on Champion Street, Cheshire Street, Cornwall Street, Dorset Street, McKillop Street, and York Street.

"Our crews worked all night to fix the problem and the bursts. Work will continue throughout the day until all the bursts have been repaired and service is restored," a Wellington Water spokesperson said.

Water tankers have been organised in the meantime to supply water to properties affected by the burst water main.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said she expects that water will be restored by mid-afternoon.

"I’d just like to thank the residents for their patience, I know going without water at dinner time and then breakfast is really tough, and please reach out if they do need it and we can send more water round," Mayor Baker said.