By Nick James of RNZ
Moving a native population of skinks has contributed to the doubling of the cost of a Porirua sewage tank.
Wellington Water started work on the tank near State Highway 59 in May 2022.
It was designed to capture and hold up to 7 million litres of sewage at peak times such as heavy rain events, then gradually release it back to a treatment plant.
However, an assessment of the project in October 2022 found northern grass skinks at the north end of the site.