Dozens of odour complaints have been made to council regulators in the Hutt Valley in the past fortnight over what locals call the ‘Seaview stench’.
The smell coming from the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant appears to have peaked, after its dryer facility stopped working last month.
“The stench that was there yesterday is completely unacceptable,” said Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry.
The fault with the dryer has created a backlog of wet sludge, increasing the stink wafting from the plant.
Chris Man from nearby Café 36 said it’s the worst he’s smelt in five years of owning the shop.
“I’ve been to a pig farm. It’s more like pig waste,” he said.
Some of those who work in the area told 1News the smell has been particularly strong, with one man saying that leaving his office was “an assault on your senses”.
The plant is owned by the Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt councils and managed by Wellington Water.
It has approval to emit some odour, but the recent lingering stench has prompted 90 complaints since September 24.
A spokesperson for the Greater Wellington Regional Council said the complaints are under active investigation and no enforcement action has been taken.
Barry said he went to the area to test the smell and thought it would breach regulations.
Wellington Water apologised for the increased odour the community has experienced over the past week.
“We appreciate the current odour level is not acceptable and regret it is taking longer than we would like to minimise the impact on the community,” a spokesperson said.
Any work at the plant that could contribute to the increased odour has been suspended, and it is moving as fast as possible to reduce the stench.
“The backlog of sludge in the process is reducing, but it will take time for the biological processes to remove the bacteria that is causing the increased odour.”
