Project CANOPy was initiated in January 2017 in response to long-standing concerns about the ongoing water quality issues in the western part of Auckland’s inner city.

CANOPy stands for Central Auckland Network Optimisation Programme and includes the suburbs of Grey Lynn, Cox’s Bay, Herne Bay, St Marys Bay, Freemans Bay, Westmere, Point Chevalier, Avondale, Waterview, Mount Albert, Western Springs, Epsom, Hillsborough, Lynfield, Mount Eden, Sandringham and Mount Roskill, commonly referred to as the Western Isthmus Area.

Wastewater and stormwater services in this part of the city are aging and highly complex. They consist of a mixture of separated wastewater and stormwater networks, combined wastewater systems, a wastewater network without public stormwater drainage, or stormwater disposed of via soakage into the ground. The Western Isthmus Area experiences a larger number of wet weather wastewater overflows than other parts of urban Auckland, largely due to the presence of combined systems and significant growth planned through intensification.

The project was undertaken jointly by Watercare Services (Watercare) and Auckland Council Healthy Waters (Healthy Waters). The purpose of the project was to develop an affordable, timely and integrated infrastructure programme that:

- Optimised existing and committed wastewater and stormwater infrastructure,
- Improves water quality of the Western Isthmus waterways and Waitematā Harbour by reducing high volume and high frequency wastewater overflows, and
- Enables the anticipated urban growth in the project area without causing further environmental effects.