03/03/2025
New Zealand: March completes work on the Opal Drive Pump Station Project
March teams have successfully completed work on the Opal Drive pump station project in Tauranga.
The works to the Opal Drive pumping station, which was aging and no longer had the capacity for future flows, will provide the community of Pāpāmoa East with a modern and resilient wastewater service.
This major project involved the construction of four 800mm diameter Bored piles and nine 1200mm diameter Bored piles, each reaching a depth of 35 metres.
These piles are crucial for supporting the structural elements of the pump station.
Given the site’s proximity to the beach, less than 1km away, the ground conditions were predominantly sandy. This necessitated the use of bentonite support fluid to ensure the stability of the boreholes during construction. The stability of these sandy soils presented a challenge, but our experienced team onsite navigated these to ensure the project’s success.
The compact nature of the site added another layer of complexity. Despite the limited space, we efficiently designed and set up the bentonite processing plant, ensuring that all necessary equipment was accommodated without compromising on safety or efficiency.
This project was a perfect opportunity for us to impress a new Main Contractor client in Fulton Hogan. The team conducted themselves professionally and presented well, which was a fantastic counterpoint to some of our competitors who have struggled on a similar project nearby.
Thank you to everyone involved for their hard work and commitment to excellence.
