Source: Radio New Zealand
Last week’s failure at the Moa Point facility sent raw sewage into the nearby coast. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington Water will not answer any more questions about anything that could be included in a public inquiry into the Moa Point meltdown.
The facility completely failed last Wednesday morning, flooding the building with waste and sending raw sewage into the nearby coast.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little has called for an independent inquiry into the matter.
Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty said in a statement that the water supplier fully supported an inquiry to the failure.
“It is now clear that the inquiry will begin as soon as possible, and we will cooperate fully alongside our work to bring the plant back into operation.”
Dougherty said given the review had been signalled, it meant Wellington Water was not able to provide “any further public statements regarding aspects of the Moa Point incident and response that may be included in the inquiry”.
He said the water provider was committed to transparency while meeting its legal obligations.
“We also appreciate the high level of public and media interest in this incident.”
Wellington Water would still provide regular operational updates, public health advice and water sampling results.
Dougherty told Morning Report on Monday that Wellington Water may have missed early warning signs of the plant’s failure.
RNZ has asked what those red flags were, but Wellington Water has not responded.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
