The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

‘Farterton’ returns: Carterton’s wastewater treatment plants cause bad smell

By Kate Judson & Emily Ireland
Other·
8 Mar, 2024 02:47 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Carterton District Council has received service requests about the stench after the failure of three aerators at its wastewater treatment plant. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

Carterton District Council has received service requests about the stench after the failure of three aerators at its wastewater treatment plant. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

The “Farterton” saga has reared its head again this week, as an unpleasant stench wafts from Carterton’s wastewater treatment plant.

The term was coined in 2021 when residents at the south end of the town complained of a “week-long” stink emanating from the Dalefield Rd plant.

Carterton District Council [CDC] confirmed yesterday it had received service requests regarding the odour after the concurrent failure of three aerators at its plant.

A spokesperson confirmed the odour was coming from the wastewater treatment plant, not the newly commissioned reservoirs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Pond 3 is usually the most reliable, but the concurrent failure of three separate aerators is unexpected,” CDC said.

“Our three ponds rely on a fine balance of biochemistry to stop bad odours from travelling most of the time in waste stabilisation ponds.

“There are two distinct layers within ponds, anaerobic [no oxygen] bottom layer and aerobic [top layer].

The lower layer is made of solids that accumulate over time in the bottom of each pond, where they are slowly consumed by microbes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“These microbes produce bad odours which are consumed as they pass through the aerobic layer.

“However, if that balance is removed by weather changes, chemicals, or high loads in the network, it will impact the ponds, upsetting the aerobic layer and allowing the bad odours to get to the surface.”

The council said it was looking for replacement aerators.

“One is at the end of its life, and our team has been working on a replacement for the last month to get a replacement.

“A second aerator has a fault, and we are waiting for an electrician to check it.

“The final aerator stopped this week. We are investigating today [Friday] as we suspect it is blocked with rags.”

CDC is dosing twice a day in the interim to increase the oxygen level and divert more of the flow to Pond 1.

The council asked residents to “remember the three Ps”: “If it’s not pee, paper, or poo, it doesn’t go down the loo”.

One of the issues CDC is looking to address in its Long-Term Plan [LTP] is the outdated wastewater treatment plant equipment, which was last upgraded more than 60 years ago.

The potential proposed upgrades will address foul air treatment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The draft LTP will be available to the public from March 22 as part of the Ordinary Council Meeting agenda for March 27.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'A lot of fun': Planting project rewarding for farming couple

14 Jun 05:01 PM
The Country

Why every garden needs a persimmon tree

14 Jun 05:00 PM
The Country

Farming, science and family through the generations

14 Jun 05:00 PM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'A lot of fun': Planting project rewarding for farming couple

'A lot of fun': Planting project rewarding for farming couple

14 Jun 05:01 PM

“We’d like to thank everyone who has helped us with potting up seedlings & planting out."

Why every garden needs a persimmon tree

Why every garden needs a persimmon tree

14 Jun 05:00 PM
Farming, science and family through the generations

Farming, science and family through the generations

14 Jun 05:00 PM
'Not suitable for high speeds': Rural roads in the 1930s

'Not suitable for high speeds': Rural roads in the 1930s

14 Jun 05:00 PM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP