Wastewater detectives are back in the district inspecting the condition of our sewer pipes, starting in Methven.

The crew from Citycare Water will be working over a period of 4-6 weeks and advising residents by letter drop when they are in their vicinity.

They are inspecting wastewater pipes on Carr Street and Barkers Road, in Methven, then moving to Albert Street in Ashburton and on to Tinwald for the rest of the week.

Group Manager of Infrastructure Neil McCann said the crews used closed-circuit television, with a rover camera connected to a fibreoptic cable to send images and video of the inside of the pipes to a laptop.

“They’ll also be inspecting pipes on McElrea Place, Burnett Street, Hanrahan Street, Bucefield Avenue and Bridge Street, as well as stormwater mains on Oak Grove and Davis Crescent.

“The information Council receives helps assess the internal condition of our pipe network, and informs our renewal programme. Cameras are a lot less invasive than digging up a pipe to inspect it.”

Operators viewing the images and video are looking for irregularities in the pipelines such as cracks, water infiltration, breakages, tree roots and collapsed areas.

When the crew is on your street, people will see a Citycare Water van and combi truck parked near a manhole. The mobile camera can inspect up to 120 metres at a time, and the 150mm camera broadcasts a signal so the operator can pinpoint exactly the potential problems.

Mr McCann said looking after wastewater networks in Ashburton, Methven and Rakaia was an important part of Council’s core work.

“We have over 200km of wastewater pipes in these urban areas and it’s crucial they are well maintained and replaced as needed. Some parts of the sewer network are more than 100 years old and while they’ve held up well, they are getting to the end of their lives.”