Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant update

Friday 13 February 

We want to again acknowledge and apologise for the continued impact the stench is having on the community. We know how tough this has been, and we remain genuinely grateful for your patience.

Our neighbourhood visits earlier in the week were incredibly insightful. Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with us. Your honesty and thoughtful feedback are helping shape a set of community support options, which we’re now developing further. These will be presented to the elected Council for consideration and approval.

We’ll be back in touch via this newsletter on Monday 16 February, unless something significant changes over the weekend. In the meantime, please know that staff will be on site throughout the weekend, closely monitoring the ponds and doing everything they can to keep the plant operating with as little odour as possible.

Odour status, pond health and acitvity on site 

Since Monday we have seen encouraging improvement across a number of ponds, with ponds 1, 2A and 2B gradually improving. Algae levels and dissolved oxygen have continued slowly trending upward. However, we’re still experiencing spikes in odour, so we’re taking a cautious approach while closely tracking changes.

All aerators are operating on the ponds, and a jet boat was deployed yesterday to boost aeration. A pond management specialist has been onsite having productive, detailed discussions with our plant teams.

We’ve also had crews hard at work on the activated sludge reactor – steadily excavating the trickling filter site, identifying and removing old services, and preparing the area for the next stage of construction.

The pond tracker has been updated reflecting the gradual improvement we’re seeing, particularly across the healthier ponds. We’ll continue to update the tracker as conditions evolve.

How to report odour 

If you notice an odour, the best way to report it is by visiting smelt-it.web.app and logging what you’re experiencing – including location and strength. These reports help us build a fuller, more accurate picture of what’s happening across the community, so we can continue working to improve conditions.

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.