Smelly plant causes stink

PHORR! Averil Bowness of Carterton is fed up with the pong from the Carterton sewage treatment plant in Dalefield Rd.

Carterton's sewage treatment plant on Dalefield Rd has been turning noses up in the past couple of days.

The odour can be smelt as far away as Frederick St, about 500 metres north of the site.

Frederick St resident Averil Bowness said the smell at her house had been unbearable.

"It gets in through the HRV system, it's absolutely disgusting. You can smell it all night."

She said the smell had previously wafted over her house about six months ago.

Then council had used baking soda to dilute the smell and Mrs Bowness said she had to move away for a few days to avoid the stench.

Treatment plant project manager Greg Boyle said the reason people were getting the unfavourable smell now was that the heating unit in the digestor system was being replaced.

This meant the digestor needed to be emptied and refilled with solid waste. During the process, sewage was exposed to the air, creating the smell.

Mr Boyle said there had been a few complaints but that there was nothing much they could do about it while replacing the heating unit.

Once the unit was replaced the smell should no longer be a problem. Carterton District Council had bought land adjacent to the plant and was planning to do an upgrade outlined in its long-term plan.

"The long-term intention is to expand the capacity of the treatment system, irrigate to nearby farmland for much of the year, and discharge treated wastewater to Mangatarere Stream in times of high flow only."

Mr Boyle said this was due to happen in the next 3-4 years and part of the plan was to build a cover over the digestor to stop any further wafting odours.