Landfill shut in 1971 still making Wellington beach reek of petrol, resident says

Thursday, 2 January 2020

Leaking fluid from a closed Wellington landfill has been stinking for decades. (Video first published in January 2020).

It's orange, it's shiny, and it smells like petrol - and once again it's leaking across a Wellington beach.

Since New Year's Day a reeking cocktail has been running from the stormwater system into the sea at Houghton Bay.

The situation is one local residents and beach users are all too familiar with, as the likely culprit is the Houghton Valley tip, which closed in 1971.

Donald Reid said sometimes he couldn't open his doors or windows due to the smell.

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'We've lived here for about 18-20 years, and when we first moved in, you could walk out the back door and get a whiff of petrol.'

Houghton Bay resident Donald Reid says he can often smell the discharge from his backyard.

And the smell has persisted on and off to this day, he said.

'Nothing's been done about it … it looks awful, it's a horrible colour, and you can see the sheen of it on the water.'

The closed landfill extended along the original valley floor from Cave Rd to Houghton Valley School and up to Sinclair Park.

It was opened in 1951 and was filled in, in two stages, by 1971, with the land currently used as playing fields.

The former Houghton Valley landfill has a long history of leachate discharges, which flow straight into the sea.

The landfill has a long history of leachate discharges, which flow straight into the sea.

Greater Wellington Regional Council spokesman Stephen Heath said a member of the public called them on New Year's Day to investigate.

Wednesday's spill on the beach was referred to Wellington Water, who would usually go to the beach, clean up the sump and then clean up the beach around it, he said.

Wellington Water spokesman Alex van Paassen said crews would be cleaning the beach on Thursday.

The smell could be caused by a mix of rust and petrochemicals, he said.

A 2012 investigation determined the effects of the discharge on the environment were minor, Wellington Water's website says.

Rain and subsurface water pick up 'dissolved and suspended' material from the landfill.

'These components form 'leachate', which enters the stormwater network that lies beneath the landfill.'

The smell and leachate from the old landfill had been ongoing for years, Van Paassen said.

'It might be a result of that or it might be something that someone's poured down the pipes.'

According to Wellington Water's website a 'weir arrangement' was in place to minimise leachate flowing from the stormwater pipe. The diversion system was regularly inspected.

The website also states that even occasional discharges to Houghton Bay are 'not ideal'.

'However, we and our colleagues are doing what we can to deal with an historical situation, and to minimise future incidents and impacts.'