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Auckland Zoo has replied to criticism from the Green Party, which blamed the hippopotamus enclosures for polluting a local stream.
The zoo was last week highly commended in the "Businesses Making a Difference" category in the 2008 Ministry for the Environment's Green Ribbon Awards.
But Greens co-leader Russel Norman said the ministry officials "must have had their eyes closed and nostrils pegged" when they checked out the zoo's effluent disposal into waterways. "I agree Auckland Zoo does some great work in promoting and protecting endangered species and in recycling waste, but it has a sad record when it comes to the aptly named Motions Creek," he said.
Jonathan Wilcken, the Auckland Zoo director, said the stream water coming out of the Auckland Zoo property was at times cleaner than what went in.
He said the Hippo River flow was dual-filtered and the discharge was not at a level that required mitigation.
However, the zoo knew it could do better and planned to spend $150,000 in the next few months to upgrade the treatment of the water coming from the hippopotamus enclosures.
That would include a new method of filtering and diverting the treated water into the sewerage system instead of the stream.
Mr Wilcken said the time delays in the management plan had been accepted by the Auckland Regional Council.
