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
October~~
In October, we received 29 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, all were received through the Smelt‑It application.
Eight Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while 21 were received outside of business hours.
September
In September, we received 15 reports from affected residents in the Bromley community. Of these, all were received through the Smelt‑It application.
Seven Smelt‑It reports were received during business hours, while eight were received outside of business hours.
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.
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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