Council staff say residents should ‘stop pooing’ ahead of Lower Hutt music festival

An offensive odour in Lower Hutt being is produced by the Seaview wastewater treatment plant, which was giving local residents headaches, news website Stuff has reported.

At a November Hutt City Council meeting, Mayor Campbell Barry asked if there was anything that could be done about the stink before thousands of young people descended on Hutt Park for the Juicy Fest music festival on January 5.

The event is set to be headlined by T-Pain and Ashanti.

Residents could “stop pooing”, strategic advisor Bruce Hodgins told councillors.

“Thank you, I will let everyone know,” the mayor responded.

Hodgins said that a biofilter at the plant, which was supposed to reduce smell, was being replaced and would be running at “about 90 per cent” along with deodourising chemical dispersing machines.

“We can hope like hell the wind will blow the other way,” he said.

Waiwhetu’s Kylie Hood said the comments hadn’t gone down well with residents of the “Stop the Stench” group which had been petitioning local and regional councils to find a solution for some time.

“Sometimes I’ve felt close to vomiting. You can’t escape when it’s in your home. It gets hot, but you can’t open a window.”

She said children at local schools were having trouble concentrating.

“Finally, it’s summer and the kids can get outside, but when they do, everyone is gagging.”

Jaysen Eveleigh of Auto Despatch previously​ said the stench had become a health and safety issue.

“It smells like a portaloo after a three-day festival. I have staff who won’t eat lunch in our building.”

It was revealed in November that Greater Wellington Regional Council had issued $6727 in fines in the last three years as a result of the plant breaching resource consent conditions with the stench.

Yet, residents received a letter saying that the smell was likely to get stronger over the next couple of months while the plant’s biofilters were replaced.

In a statement to Stuff, the regional council said it was aware of the letters, but they wouldn’t make the odour any less objectionable.

“While the filter is replaced, the plant operator is not consented to discharge offensive or objectionable odour beyond its boundary, and we will be in regular contact with Wellington Water during the replacement process,” it said.

At the Hutt City council meeting Mayor Barry asked Bruce Hodgins if there was a risk of further fines.

The answer was “quite possibly, they are investigating”.

The regional council has confirmed they have now taken action against Wellington Water Ltd, Veola New Zealand Limited, Upper Hutt City Council and Lower Hutt City Council for discharging offensive and objectionable odour beyond the boundary of the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The action comes after the council received 111 complaints from members of the public between October 31 and December 12, 2023.

Infringement notices for breaches of abatement notices have also been issued to both Hutt City Calibri (Body) Council and Upper Hutt City Council, who are the consent holders responsible for compliance and investment in the treatment plant – with a cost per council of $9046.

“We don’t take this step lightly. Our priority is to work cooperatively with consent holders to ensure they manage their activities within the terms of their consents,” says Greater Wellington Environment Group Manager Lian Butcher.

“Issuing fines is an enforcement approach that takes a lot of consideration. But following non-compliance with the consent conditions and subsequent abatement notices, and given the severity of the odour, there were very few options left available to us other than issuing these infringements.”

Meanwhile, Stop the Stench has made an application to the Environmental Protection Agency in the hopes it will get involved.

Kylie Hood said the fines hadn’t seemed to stop the problem and an independent voice was needed.

“They just continually breach their consent and there are no consequences, except for the fines which are picked up by the ratepayers.”

Hood said after 11 years of living in the area, and seven of a pervasive pong, she was sceptical whether replacement of the biofilter would make a difference.

At a public meeting held in December, councillors attempted to pacify disgruntled residents, committing to bring forward plans for an odour control system to within three years at a cost of more than $12 million.

For Hood, it wasn’t much of a guarantee.

“We are literally holding our breath,” she said.