New approach and the community helps identify Bromley odour issues
A pilot study of a new approach to investigating ongoing problem odours in Bromley identified two sources, enabling action to be taken.
Environment Canterbury, with the support of the Christchurch City Council and the Bromley community, carried out a pilot study in March 2020. It saw residents reporting odour via a 'Smelt-it' reporting app, with reports then cross-referenced with weather conditions and onsite observations.
Environment Canterbury Operations Director Nadeine Dommisse said the study identified Christchurch City Council-run facilities Living Earth and EcoDrop as significant odour emitters. The two councils had worked closely throughout the study, and Christchurch City Council had welcomed the findings. Both councils would work together to address any problems related to these two public facilities as quickly as possible.
"We know this has been an issue for Bromley residents for a long time and it hasn't been an easy one to resolve. Tracing odour is a complex issue and the usual methods councils use to track odour simply didn't work in Bromley. The variables involved include the number of potential sources, wind, weather, temperature, timing, distance, topography, and sometimes even a combination of odours, all making it difficult to pin down what residents were describing, and where an odour might be coming from," she said.
"Over the last few years we've systematically worked through a process, talking to residents, mapping odour-emitting businesses and other work, which has culminated in the pilot study."
New data-gathering approach
Dommisse said the pilot study took a new approach, using reports from the community via a mobile app, and an independent odour assessor. Those reports were compared to wind and weather information and site operational data provided by the Christchurch City Council.
"These three datastreams enabled us to bring together odour reports, the physical impact on residents and the likely location at the same time. It's given us a compelling picture we've not had before, and a new way to investigate these sorts of issues. We're very grateful to the Bromley community and the Christchurch City Council for their support. Together we've been able to develop the information we need to finally make a difference."
Collaborative plan to address odours
Dommisse said Environment Canterbury will work closely with the Christchurch City Council to progressively address the issue with Living Earth and EcoDrop. Environment Canterbury will continue to work with other odour emitting businesses in Bromley and further investigate the possibility that some odours were combining to create a worse one.
"The Bromley community remain a vital part of the solution. We need them to continue to report odours so we can tell if progress in reducing odours is being made or not.
"A collaborative approach will produce faster results for affected residents. We can now better identify where problems can occur in certain conditions, potential emitters, and address them. While we have identified the Christchurch City Council-run facilities as being significant emitters, we will also be working with other odour-emitting businesses in Bromley to ensure they are managing odour appropriately."
Beyond the pilot
Christchurch City Council Head of Three Waters and Waste, Helen Beaumont, said the Council welcomed the pilot study findings.
"Environment Canterbury's pilot study findings are an important step in determining what's causing the offensive odours in some parts of Bromley. The study indicates the EcoDrop transfer station and the Living Earth composting plant facilities are significant contributors to the odour issue.
"We appreciate our community will want action and we'll be working with Environment Canterbury to determine what immediate actions, other investigations or further information might be needed to address the issue. We'll also be taking a proactive approach working with Living Earth and EcoDrop to share technology, best practices and initiatives to help further improve our processes."
Adaptive Management Plan to mitigate odour
Following the announcement of the pilot study results on 21 May, on 19 June Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council agreed on an Adaptive Management Plan to progressively address odour issues from Living Earth and EcoDrop.
The Adaptive Management Plan (PDF File, 4MB) is an action plan outlining potential short, medium and long-term options to mitigate odour. The plan will be in place for three months, while Living Earth and EcoDrop work to address odour issues. It is important to note that the plan is adaptive - additional mitigations can be required if efforts to reduce odour are not effective.
While we expect to see a progressive reduction in odour over the three month period, we encourage residents to continue to report odour via the Smelt-it app. Reporting odour will help in monitoring progress, and the effectiveness of any methods used.
Adaptive Management Plan updates
The following information covers the reporting period from 1 August to 31 August 2020:
- Final AMP report (PDF File, 1.21MB)
- CCC AMP report (PDF File, 237.41KB)
- IOA report (PDF File, 2.51MB)
- Newsletter
- EcoDrop PA assessment 3 (PDF File, 86.75KB)
The following information covers the reporting period from 1 July to 31 July 2020:
- Final AMP report (PDF File, 1.04MB)
- CCC Progress report (PDF File, 766.33KB)
- IOA report (PDF File, 2.15MB)
- Newsletter
- EcoDrop PA assessment 2 (PDF File, 86.35KB)
Further information is available at ccc.govt.nz/bromleyodour
- Final AMP report (PDF File, 797.46KB)
- CCC Progress Report
- Newsletter (PDF File, 244.56KB)
- EcoDrop PA assessment (PDF File, 76.53KB)
An independent odour specialist undertook assessments in the Bromley area in March and June to provide an impartial, outside perspective. The reports:
Further updates
Bromley Update - May 2021
You can find the latest report on locations of odours, how odour is reported to us and amenity impacts:
Bromley Update - March 2021
You can find the latest report on locations of odours, how odour is reported to us and amenity impacts:
Bromley Update - February 2021
You can find the latest report on locations of odours, how odour is reported to us and amenity impacts:
Bromley Update - January 2021
An Abatement Notice was served in consultation with Christchurch City Council under section 322(1) (a) (i) of the Resource Management Act 1991 in respect of discharge of offensive and objectionable odour at Living Earth.
The notice holds the Council to timeframes for upgrade of the Organics Processing Plant, requiring the discharge of "offensive and objectionable odour" beyond the boundaries of plant to stop by 31 January 2022.
You can find the latest report on locations of odours, how odour is reported to us and amenity impacts:
Bromley Update - December 2020
You can find the latest report on locations of odours, how odour is reported to us and amenity impacts:
Bromley Update - November 2020
In November, Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council commissioned independent research into air quality in Bromley.
The research sought to gather views representative of the Bromley community, ensure the community had the opportunity to be heard, and enable more informed decision making.
The research saw 2400 properties in Bromley surveyed, either in person, or if not in person, via a coded postcard enabling residents to complete the survey online or by calling the research company.
Bromley Update - October 2020
We continue to monitor odour in Bromley, and encourage the community to continue to report odour that may be objectionable or offensive.
The latest reports:
Bromley Update - September 2020
Following the Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) process that was in place from June to August aimed at addressing odour issues from EcoDrop and Living Earth, Environment Canterbury has advised the Christchurch City Council (CCC) that we would resume our normal regulatory approach from Wednesday 21 September 2020.
This means Environment Canterbury will stop issuing AMP notifications and will resume issuing Notices of Non-Compliance for each substantiated case of offensive odour discharge. We will continue our intensive monitoring program with a view to issuing monthly Compliance Monitoring Reports covering any Notices of Non-Compliance that may be issued.
The community can support that activity by continuing to report odour via the Smelt-It app.
The mitigation actions implemented by EcoDrop during June to August resulted in no further substantiated cases of offensive odour discharges since June, and Environment Canterbury has confirmed EcoDrop can continue to operate under the existing permitted activity rule.
The number of substantiated offensive odour discharges from Living Earth continued to rise from six in June to seven in July and then 11 in August. It is worth noting that there have been a further five substantiated cases in the first two weeks of September.
We do acknowledge that CCC and Living Earth are continuing to implement mitigation measures to fix the odour issues and the effectiveness of these measures will inform any decision on future action.
As previously mentioned Living Earth has selected a preferred new ‘recipe’ for making compost, however, it takes about:
- 12-weeks for material to go through the composting process,
- two-weeks in sealed tunnels; and
- a further 10-weeks in outside windrows for maturation.
Following this time compost is screened and ready for sale. CCC believes it is making progress with a new compost recipe that will emit considerably less potentially odorous gases than the old compost recipe. We anticipate we will have a good understanding of the impact the new 'recipe' will have on the odour profile in Bromley towards the end of October 2020.
In resuming the normal regulatory approach, we will evaluate what enforcement action we may take in relation to any incidents of non-compliance, but we have advised the CCC that we will be collecting evidence which may be used in any future enforcement action. We will be keeping the CCC informed of our intended steps.
We are intending to run a drop-in event where community members can raise concerns, have questions answered, and hear from Council and industry representatives during the next month.
Find out more
Watch our summary video about the pilot study and new approach to odour management in Bromley (4:28).
See the full findings, and next steps, in our video on the background of the Bromley odour management study; the pilot outcomes and action plan for the next three months (12:20).
Got questions?
Learn more about the pilot and using Smelt-it with our frequently asked questions:
Pilot overview
Using Smelt-it
We need to know where you were when you notice the odour and at what time.
We will then use wind direction and dispersion models to narrow down potential sources using a scientific approach.
Please see the FAQ on the Smelt-it tool for information.
Alternatively, you can call 0800 324 636 and talk to one of the team for help.
You can also use Smelt-it on a tablet or desktop computer.
If you need assistance, call us on 0800 324 636 and we can help.
You can also continue to report odours via our incident response line on 0800 765 588.