Diggers working at the burnt-out Bromley wastewater treatment plant last year. Photo: Christchurch City Council
Some Christchurch residents are reportedly at "breaking point" and battling mental health issues as the Bromley wastewater plant saga and smell lingers on.
The Christchurch City Council is still awaiting settlement from its insurer following the catastrophic fire 18 months ago. The blaze badly damaged the plant's two trickling filters in November 2021, affecting the quality of effluent flowing into the system.
The stench from the burnt-out plant has affected the health of neighbouring residents, who complained of nausea, headaches, worsening asthma and sleepless nights.
One of the community's most vocal advocates, Don Gould, addressed elected members during Wednesday's Finance and Performance Committee meeting. Gould said people living in limbo - while the council awaited an insurance settlement - was unacceptable.
"Residents are still expressing frustration and concerns," he said.
"We asked for a timeline, it fell on deaf ears. We feel like we're being managed and being outgunned by clever managers."
Gould said the uncertainty was now affecting peoples' mental well-being.
"We shouldn't have people getting to this breaking point, we should be giving them some certainty with a plan and a timeframe.
"With a plan... people can then go 'Oh I can live with that', or 'I can't live with that', I know for my own mental health, it might cost me $200,000 to dump this house now or do something different, but it'll save my life."
A community advocate told of a heartbreaking phone call from a resident who was in tears. Stephen McPaike said he was concerned for the man's well-being.
"[He] was feeling mentally broken, socially distanced and feeling like it was easier to leave this earth, than it was to continue fighting.
"I've sourced counselling for him and his family and we just need to see action and more mental health support for these people.
"If one person dies because they cannot cope with the stench, I will solely blame council. This is not on."
The council e-mailed impacted residents on Tuesday, which reportedly contained links to support services. Twelve months ago, the council issued a well-being support package, with gift cards, to more than 3000 homes of residents living with the stench.
Earlier this year, the council commissioned the installation of five disc and 11 vertical shaft aerators in the first of Bromley's six oxidation ponds, to churn more oxygen into the water and improve its biological health.
The council is now reporting mechanical issues with the disc aerators at the pond, which are now being repaired. All 16 aerators came at a cost of about $4 million, with repairs expected to be complete by 9 June.
Other residents also lamented the stench on a community Facebook page over the past week.
In a statement to RNZ, the council said it was trying to determine the exact cause of the "intermittent smells" and is exploring a range of other options to mitigate the odours.
"There is still a risk that odours could persist over the winter months," a spokesperson said.
"Last year we saw the ponds begin to recover and perform well from September onwards, as the warmer weather and longer daylight hours improved the biological health of the ponds.
"The health and well-being of our residents is our priority and we continue to work as hard as we can to provide the answers they seek and to minimise the odours in the area."
The council though defended the duration of its insurance claim.
"Council's insurer accepted our claim soon after the fire.
"Since then, we have been working with them on investigating the cause of the fire, assessing the damage and what it would take to repair the damage, and estimating the cost of these repairs.
"These processes have involved the council engaging external experts where specialist expertise that we do not have in-house was needed. This is normal for insurance claims.
"We acknowledge this has been a lengthy process and that the local community wants certainty regarding a permanent solution for the plant."