Dr Zahid Badroodien, mayoral committee member for water and sanitation in the City of Cape Town, says they are aware of the Proteus, a real-time water quality monitoring system being used in European rivers and sea side waters.

The Camps Bay beach and tidal pool look amazing from the top of Table Mountain, but what lurks in the waters?

In an email interaction with Mark Jackson, a water activist and film-maker (Bays of Sewage) who expresses concerns about the water quality of the Camps Bay tidal pool, Dr Badroodien says that the Proteus instrument may be tested in Atlantic seaboard waters.

“The Proteus was brought to our attention by the chair of the Strand Lifesaving Club in February. We have had many discussions with the South African supplier and in the beginning March we appointed Dr Barry Clark (a marine science and marine instrument expert) to undertake a review of the Proteus and its utility in our waters. That review is due end of April. We have committed to trial the Proteus if the review is positive,” said Dr Badroodien.

Dr Badroodien says that the water quality in the Camps Bay tidal pool meets national water quality standards, and that weekly tidal pool statistics were obtained since October of last year.

“These weekly samples are taken on the same day in the stream and the tidal pool a few minutes apart and there is so far no correlation between the results except for one sample in October >150 where we believe bather shedding was a factor at the tidal pool. On February 6 the tidal pool was sampled and scored 1/100ml and the previous date, January 30, it was 0/100ml,” said Dr Badroodien about the enterococci bacteria measured per 100ml.

According to Mr Jackson, the City inspects the tidal pool quality on a bi-monthly basis and the public may have to wait up to two weeks to learn of any water contamination.

“I've long advocated for daily testing, but even with the fastest testing regime, which is an 18-hour lab turnaround time, that's still about a day before the public can be warned of dangerous water conditions,” said Mr Jackson.

“You say the pool was sampled on January 30 and again on February 6, and showed no cause for concern. For all we know, sewage contamination in the tidal pool could wash in and out with the tides, in a six-hour cycle. Again, this highlights the weakness of bi-monthly or even weekly testing, and strengthens the case for not just daily but hourly testing, as this new device promises.”

Mr Jackson adds that he emailed the company that manufactures the Proteus, based in the UK, and they confirmed a meeting was held with the City last year but that there was no follow-up regarding this technology.

Have a look at this report which was conducted at a SABS lab.

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Proteus being considered for water quality testing