The “Farterton” saga has again reared its head this week, with an unpleasant stench wafting from Carterton’s wastewater treatment plant.
The term was coined in 2021 when residents at the south end of the town complained of a “week-long” stink emanating from the Dalefield Rd plant.
Carterton District Council confirmed yesterday it had received service requests regarding the odour after the concurrent failure of three aerators at its plant.
A spokesperson confirmed the smell was coming from the wastewater treatment plant, not newly commissioned reservoirs.
“Pond 3 is usually the most reliable, but the concurrent failure of three separate aerators is unexpected,” the council said.
“Our three ponds rely on a fine balance of biochemistry to stop bad odours from travelling most of the time in waste stabilisation ponds.
“There are two distinct layers within ponds, anaerobic (no oxygen) bottom layer and aerobic (top layer).
The lower layer was made of solids that accumulated over time in the bottom of each pond, where they were slowly consumed by microbes.
“These microbes produce bad odours which are consumed as they pass through the aerobic layer.
Three aerators — all gone down
“However, if that balance is removed by weather changes, chemicals, or high loads in the network, it will impact the ponds upsetting the aerobic layer and allowing the bad odours to get to the surface.”
The council said it was looking for replacement aerators.
“One is at the end of its life, and our team has been working on a replacement for the last month to get a replacement.
“A second aerator has a fault, and we are waiting for an electrician to check it.
“The final aerator stopped this week. We are investigating... as we suspect it is blocked with rags.”
The district council was dosing twice a day in the interim to increase the oxygen level and divert more of the flow to Pond 1.
The council asked residents to “remember the three Ps” — “if it’s not pee, paper, or poo, it doesn’t go down the loo”.
One of the issues the council was looking to address in its Long-Term Plan was the outdated wastewater treatment plant equipment, which was last upgraded more than 60 years ago.
The potential proposed upgrades would address foul air treatment.
The draft long-term plan would be available to the public from March 22 as part of the Ordinary Council Meeting agenda for March 27.
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