By Ashleigh McCaull of RNZ
There were tears and anger when Hutt Valley residents found out that a terrible smell from a wastewater treatment plant won't be fixed for another four years.
And to make matters worse, they were told that even when the faulty equipment causing the smell at the Seaview plant is replaced there's no guarantee the stench will be completely gone.
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Kylie Hood, who was reduced to tears, has had a gutful of the stink.
"For them to tell us that there is no fix effectively and that it's just going to continue , that the plant is always going to smell, the community is always going to have to put up with this plant smelling at their school, their sports grounds, their homes, is pretty devastating."
Chris Hetherington has been complaining about the stench for eight years.
"Same old, same stuff, nothing new. It's draining, it's yeah, it's really s***," Hetherington said.
Danielle Wills agreed, saying last summer the smell was the only memory she has with her children.
"Their whole memory of their childhood growing up, riding bikes or walking to and from school is just all smell, all the time, it's just awful."
Wellington Water and Hutt City Council hosted a community meeting on Sunday night to talk about the smell, the problem with a sludge dryer and to give an overview of upgrades to the plant.
Residents said deodoriser cannons that were supposed to be masking the stench of poo were not helping.
Wellington Water's Jeremy McKibbin said no tests have been done to prove the deodorisers make the smell better, but warned turning them off might make it worse.
"We haven't done any locally and I'm not sure what tests have been done internationally... the international best practice is that using those odour neutralisers helps reduce the impact on the community so that's why we're using them."
Wellington Water's chief executive Pat Dougherty admitted the company was too slow to detect some of its ageing infrastructure and equipment were failing.
He said the old, fire-damaged dryer causing the smell will be used while work is done to replace it.
"I think we're pretty clear that until we've replaced the dryer which is the end of four years, there will be a lot of work we'll do in the meantime, but until we get to that four years and replace that dryer, there's always going to be a risk of odour.
"I feel terrible delivering that message but that's where we are," Dougherty said.
Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry told the audience fixing the plant and getting rid of the stench was the council's number one priority. It was spending $225 million on replacing the old equipment.
He admitted the pungent smell residents lived with was completely unacceptable.
"Particularly given the under-investment that's occurred over a long period of time, the condition of the plant and now trying to fix it while also not disturbing the ongoing operation of the plant is a real challenge.
"But ultimately we are responsible and that's why we'll continue to make ourselves accountable and front up to the community."
But in the meantime, the seaside community faces another summer with the stress and misery of a stink that won't go away.
