“Like botox for the ground” – new technique builds resilience

The Team from Wellington Water

In early May, work began on ground improvement at the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant, where new resin injection technology is being used to strengthen the ground underneath key buildings, improving the resilience of the plant.

Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace and Hutt City Deputy Mayor and Wellington Water Committee Chairman David Bassett recently visited the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant to check in on the progress of the ground improvement works currently under way.

“It’s incredibly important that key infrastructure such as the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant has the capability to operate as normal following a large quake,” said Mayor Wallace. “It’s brilliant to see that innovative techniques like this being used to make our communities more resilient, without interrupting day-to-day operations at the plant.”

Ground Engineering experts, Mainmark Ground Engineering, have developed this non-invasive ground improvement and liquefaction mitigation technique, Terefirm™ Resin Injection, which can be applied under existing structures. Wellington Water’s Seaview project team has likened the technique to “botox for the ground”.

Improving resilience isn’t just about being prepared for a large earthquake or disaster, it’s about repairing and recovering quickly. With the goal of having the plant continue to operate following a large earthquake, it’s important that we create strong foundations underneath existing structures, which will allow for reduced re-build efforts and a quicker return to full operation