Christchurch City Council has been issued with an abatement notice over the foul and persistent stench coming from the damaged wastewater treatment plant in Bromley.
Odours had plagued the city's eastern suburbs since a fire seriously damaged the facility in 2021, and complaints had surged again this summer.
Environment Canterbury, the region's environmental regulator, said it had received more than 4500 reports from the community describing a "putrid, sewage-like smell" since late January.
Director of operations Brett Aldridge said the team had been engaging directly with affected residents.
"We know the impact of the offensive smell is significant, with the prolonged duration of the smell proving particularly challenging for the community."
An abatement notice, a legally enforceable direction under the Resource Management Act, was issued yesterday.
It required an entity to stop, not start, or fix an activity that breaches the Resource Management Act, a rule in a plan, regulations, or a resource consent, or that is causing harmful environmental effects. Non‑compliance was an offence and could lead to prosecution or fines.
Aldridge said the decision signalled Environment Canterbury's intent to push for a long‑term fix.
"Issuing this abatement notice today demonstrates that we are serious about establishing a clear path toward long-term, sustainable solutions for the plant that bring relief to affected communities."
Under the notice, Christchurch City Council must provide a satisfactory odour‑mitigation plan to ECan by March 16, outlining both short‑ and long‑term measures to address the smell. An independent wastewater engineer will review the plan.
The council said it had been working closely with Environment Canterbury in recent months to keep them informed of steps to address odour.
"In simple terms, the notice states that the plant is currently breaching its resource consent because odour is travelling beyond the boundary of the treatment plant and oxidation ponds," the council said.
"We take this notice seriously. Addressing odour remains a top priority and we are committed to doing everything we can to reduce impacts on the community. We will continue to keep the community and Environment Canterbury updated as this work progresses."
"Spikes of stench" were expected to continue over the weekend from the plant, the council added.
"These will vary depending on the weather, especially wind direction, and may affect different areas at different times."
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