Untreated wastewater is being discharged into the ocean at Wellington’s south coast after a major equipment failure forced the shutdown of the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Wellington Water confirmed the discharge into Tarakena Bay began at 1am on Wednesday, correcting earlier reports that stated it started at 3am. The discharge is ongoing while crews work urgently to stabilise the situation.
The incident was discovered after a duty manager responded to an alarm activation and an alert from Fire and Emergency New Zealand. The equipment failure caused significant flooding inside the facility, with multiple floors and key operational areas inundated. As a result, the plant has been fully shut down, power has been switched off, and staff have been evacuated from the site.
Wellington Water Chief Executive Pat Dougherty described the situation as serious and warned the plant could remain offline for an extended period.
The immediate priority is restoring power, restarting operations, and diverting wastewater through the long outfall pipe to improve dispersion and reduce the environmental impact along the coastline.
Residents and visitors are being urged to stay away from south coast beaches. Public health signage is being installed at Lyall Bay and surrounding coastal areas, and people are being warned not to enter the water or collect seafood.
Customer response teams are being deployed to provide information to the public, while environmental specialists begin water quality testing.
