DC had a major wastewater pipe collapse recently too. Quarter billion gallons dumped into the Potomac river. Seems somehow not as bad as this; the river carries it out some? Bad shit. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/18/dc-sew...

Any New Zealanders here, to comment on the root causes of this mess?

My impression (mostly from British news sites) is that self-serving failure has long been the norm for Kiwi political leaders.