Support for residents most impacted by treatment plant stench

Christchurch City Council is responding to calls from residents living close to the fire-damaged wastewater treatment plant for help to deal with the impacts of the stench.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Councillors received a briefing today from Council staff on discussions they have had with partner agencies on what help can be provided to the affected community as quickly as possible.

“Residents living near the plant are bearing the brunt of the stench. They have told us their power bills have gone up because they are using dehumidifiers and fans all the time because they cannot leave their windows open,’’ says Mayor Dalziel.

Above is the a timeline of the contractor's work programme to remove the material from the trickling filters. A larger version of this is available on our website, under the "Timeline" section.

Southern Demolition will have crews working six days a week, 12-hours a day to get the material inside the trickling filters removed as soon as possible.

They're targeting to have the job completed within four months, which means that by early September there should be no stench coming from the trickling filters.

There may still be some smells from the oxidation ponds because the wastewater discharged into them is not treated as well as it was before the fire destroyed the trickling filters.

The week ahead...

Next Thursday, (May 26) the Finance and Performance Committee will consider and approve the preferred initiatives to support those of you who are experiencing distress from the ongoing stench. The meeting will be live-streamed here.

We've also published the latest air quality findings on our website under the "what we're currently doing" section.

We'll also provide further updates on how the on-site work is progressing as Southern Demolition continues establishing the site so they can begin removing the material from the trickling filters. This establishment process is expected to take a total of three weeks. 

Stay updated

We want everyone to be able to stay updated on our response and recovery from the treatment plant fire, and have created ccc.govt.nz/wastewaterfire so that we can regularly share new information with you.

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 in advance for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on minimising the unpleasant smells after the fire. We’ll be in touch again soon.