Bromley smell
In February 2026, Environment Canterbury issued Christchurch City Council an abatement notice for failing to provide an adequate action plan to address the persistent stench coming from the fire-damaged Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bromley.
Christchurch City Council has supplied the information that was requested in the abatement notice. We are now working through the detail and will keep you updated on next steps.
As the regional council, managing and monitoring discharges to air is part of our responsibilities as a regulator under the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the Canterbury Air Regional Plan.
Stay informed and get updates
Get the latest updates on the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant issue from Christchurch City Council, or subscribe online to their regular community updates.
You can also find more information about our enforcement action on our web page.
Reports of smells in Bromley
We regularly share our reporting with the community about offensive smells in the Bromley area and also send a monthly newsletter to subscribers.
The following graph shows the number of smell reports we've received via phone, email, Smelt-it app or Snap Send Solve for the last six months.
Business hours of the compliance team are 8am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
After hours means weekdays outside of business hours, as well as weekends and public holidays. During these times, only serious events are attended.
Smell characteristics reported in Bromley
The following graph shows the smell characteristic category we've received via phone, email, Smelt-it app or Snap Send Solve for the last six months.
Our reporting covers all smell characteristics including:
- compost, silage, cut grass, herbal
- faecal/sickening, sewer
- other definitions - fragrant, perfumy, sweet, rubbish, meaty, rancid, dead animal, decayed, sea/marine, fishy, smoky, woody, resinous, gasoline, solvent, oily, soapy, chemical, paint-like, cooked food, coffee, bakery.
Note: Some community reports cover multiple smell characteristics (e.g. one report may note compost-type and sewer-type odour).
Monthly summaries
August 2026~~
In August, we received 21 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, all were received through the Smelt‑It application.
Nine Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 12 were received outside of business hours.
July 2026
In July, we received 15 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, all were received through the Smelt‑It application.
Five Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 10 were received outside of business hours.
June 2026
In June, we received 30 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, 29 reports were received through the Smelt‑It application.
Four Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 25 were received outside of business hours.
May 2026
In May, we received 74 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, 73 reports were received through the Smelt‑It application.
22 Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 51 were received outside of business hours.
April 2026
In April, we received 118 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, 117 reports were received through the Smelt‑It application.
24 Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 93 were received outside of business hours.
Following thousands of reports from residents about the strong, sewage-like smell affecting east and central suburbs, we issued an abatement notice to Christchurch City Council (CCC) on 26 February 2026.
This notice required CCC to demonstrate how it was addressing the odour issues at the wastewater treatment plant.
CCC submitted its response to the abatement notice on Tuesday 16 March 2026. Since then, Environment Canterbury compliance staff have worked with an independent wastewater engineering expert to rigorously assess the information provided, and determine whether it met the requirements of the abatement notice.
We have now received the independent assessment, which confirms that CCC has met all conditions of the abatement notice and has taken meaningful action to reduce odour.
Based on this assessment, we have determined that the legal requirements of the abatement notice have been met. On Tuesday 5 May, we formally advised CCC of this decision, shared the key findings from the independent report and cancelled the abatement notice.
While the abatement notice has been lifted, this does not mean the issue is resolved.
We will continue active compliance monitoring of CCC’s operation of the fire‑damaged plant as it progresses delivery of longer‑term solutions. CCC will be held accountable for delivering its agreed actions, and further enforcement action will be taken if required.
March 2026
In March, we received 315 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, 309 reports were received through the Smelt‑It application.
58 Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 251 were received outside of business hours.
On 16 March 2026, Christchurch City Council supplied the information requested in the abatement notice. Our compliance team is now working urgently with a wastewater specialist to assess the plan and ensure it meets the expectations set out in the notice.
This information follows the abatement notice issued to Christchurch City Council in February 2026 for failing to provide an adequate action plan to address the persistent odour originating from the fire‑damaged Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bromley.
Christchurch wastewater treatment plant news, updates and meetings: Get the latest news and meeting reports on the wastewater treatment plant recovery.
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