Update on odour from the oxidation ponds

Christchurch City Council
 

Update on odour from the oxidation ponds

Friday 13 June 2025

We're getting in touch to give you a heads-up on a potential odour issue this weekend.

We've recently found that one of our high-voltage assets at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is essential to the plant working properly, has an issue that we need to fix. It wasn't due for maintenance until 2026.

We discovered the problem on Tuesday, and the earliest possible opportunity we've have to fix the issue is today, Friday 13 June.

To carry out this emergency work, we'll need to disrupt our power supply, which will affect part of our temporary activated sludge process – and potentially lead to odour in the area. However, if we find any further issues during the work, this period could extend through the weekend.

We expect the risk of increased odour to remain very low, but we apologise in advance for any inconvenience this repair process may cause. As usual, we're keeping a close eye on the situation, and will do all we can to keep you updated.

Find out more
 
 

Latest hydrogen sulphide levels 

The ponds are still recovering from the repairs to the clarifiers in March. We're detecting intermittent low levels of odour at community monitoring sites.

 
Find out more
 

Stay updated

We want everyone to be able to stay updated on what's happening at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant, and we regularly post new information on ccc.govt.nz/wastewaterfire 

You're welcome to send this update to your networks. If you know someone in the community who doesn’t have email or internet access, please print this newsletter off and pass it to them.

If you know of anyone who would like to receive this e-newsletter they can subscribe online. 

If you have any questions, or would like further information on the project, please call us on 03 941 8999 or 0800 800 169 or email wastewater@ccc.govt.nz  

Thanks for your patience and understanding. We’ll be in touch again soon.

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Christchurch City Council
53 Hereford St, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8013
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