Waiwhetu Stream comes clean

Waiwhetu Stream is going to get better

Remember the chorus of "oooh, pooey!" from the kids in the back when you'd drive past Waiwhetu Stream in Lower Hutt? That wasn't so long ago - but the future of the stream is looking good.

Right through to the 1970s the stream was a de facto sewer for trade waste from industry in Gracefield because there wasn't anywhere else for it to go.

"Things improved in the late 1970s when a trade waste system was set up," says Greater Wellington's John Eyles. "But the lower reaches of the stream are still heavily contaminated with a legacy of industrial waste that is hazardous to human and ecological health, such as heavy metals, copper, zinc and pesticides."

Fortunately, the residents of Waiwhetu, both human and aquatic, can look forward to a cleaner stream as the Waiwhetu Project comes to fruition, with cleanup works likely to start by mid-year following a successful trial last year.

Greater Wellington will also use the cleanup as an opportunity to reduce the flooding risk by widening and deepening the lower reaches of Waiwhetu Stream at the same time. "In February 2004 there was a one in 40-year flood which flooded about 70 dwellings. It shows just how damaging a larger flood can be," says John.

Prue Lamason, who is a Greater Wellington Councillor and Chair of the Waiwhetu Stream Advisory Subcommittee, is delighted with the progress being made to improve the stream. "It's fantastic that what has been an eyesore for so long will eventually become an attractive, healthy place for everyone to enjoy."

The cleanup is a joint project between Greater Wellington, the Hutt City Council and Ministry for the Environment, following extensive community consultation.