Wellington's water infrastructure appears to be in real trouble.
Hundreds of Island Bay residents have repeatedly gone without water for long periods in recent days after an old water main burst and a broken wastewater pipe at Moa Point on the south coast last month has trucks hauling a million litres of sludge to the landfill every day.
Wellington City Council Mayor Andy Foster has called an urgent meeting for this afternoon.
Wellington freelance journalist Ian Apperley explains to Jesse why that urgency is warranted.
Eugene Doyle at the outlet at Ōwhiro Bay that, in recent months, has measured 30 times the level of fecal contamination considered safe to swim. Photo: RNZ / Rachel Thomas