Source: Radio New Zealand
Wellington Water’s Moa Point treatment plant (file photo). Wellington Water
Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has been shut down and staff evacuated from the site, with an equipment failure causing multiple floors and key areas of the plant to be inundated with water.
“This is a serious situation, and we anticipate the plant will be shut down for an extended period,” says Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty.
He strongly advises the community to stay away from the South Coast beaches.
Untreated wastewater is being discharged into the water and this may occur for some time.
Earlier, Wellington Water had started discharging raw sewage off the city’s south coast, and issued two other wastewater discharge notices, after a mechanical failure and heavy rain.
The mechanical failure, at 3am on Wednesday, caused it to start an unconsented discharge of untreated wastewater from its Moa Point treatment plant.
The water agency said the sewage would emerge at the short outfall into the ocean at Tarakena Bay and may cause the water to appear cloudy or murky.
Meanwhile, during a night of heavy rain, partially treated wastewater was discharged into Wellington’s Karori Stream at 10.45pm on Tuesday. That would also flow into the sea on the south coast.
About half an hour before that, fully treated sewage was released at 10.18pm into Waiwhetū Stream in Lower Hutt, which flows into the sea near Petone beach.
Water monitoring body Land, Air, Water Aotearoa advises people to stay out of the sea for two or three days after heavy rain.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand