Wanganui mayor Annette Main says untreated waste water is temporarily being pumped out to sea after problems with the sewerage system caused extremely strong odours in parts of the city.
Foul smells from Wanganui's waste water treatment plant have been afflicting the city since before Christmas, resulting in the council being issued with an abatement notice for breaching the Regional Air Plan.
Ms Main says Friday's odour was due in part to a fire at a local tannery which has had to pump untreated sulphides directly into the sewerage system.
She says from 11.15am wastewater was diverted to the sea, which will continue until excessive levels of hydrogen sulphide in the system have been reduced, possibly on Friday night or Saturday morning.
