The City took samples across three beaches in cape Town. Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Despite the City assuring those attending a meeting about the marine outfalls ((discharge points for wastewater) at Camps Bay, Hout Bay, and Green Point that the water quality is within acceptable levels, residents are still sceptical.
The purpose of the meeting was to update everyone on how the water quality is being monitored around these outfalls and how it's being treated to protect the environment.
For the past eight months, the City has been regularly testing the seawater near the outfalls to make sure it meets environmental standards.
According to data, they’ve tested 477 samples over the last three months, and in a few cases, the water had higher levels of a certain bacteria (called faecal enterococci) than allowed.
This bacteria is a sign of possible pollution from faeces.
These higher levels were found in specific spots: two samples in the Mixing Zone at mid-depth in Green Point, one in Table Bay at a screening site, and two in Hout Bay at mid-bay screening sites, one at mid-depth and one at the bottom.
The City assured attendees that while these high levels were found in a few spots, overall, the water’s ecological health hasn’t been harmed.
They also found higher-than-usual levels of certain metals like arsenic, mercury, and lead in some seawater samples.
The City said they’re looking into this further because the levels were higher than expected, but think there could be issues with how the samples were collected or tested.
There were also talks about how much water is being discharged into the ocean.
For Green Point, the city is allowed to discharge up to 16,060,000 cubic meters of sewage per year, which is based on an average of 40,000 cubic meters per day during dry weather.
Additionally, they are permitted to release 10% more wastewater to account for stormwater run-off during rainy weather.
For Camps Bay, the limit is 2,007,000 cubic meters per year, with an average of 5,000 cubic meters per day during dry weather, plus 10% extra for stormwater.
At Hout Bay, the city can discharge up to 3,934,700 cubic meters per year, with an average of 9,800 cubic meters per day in dry weather, and also an additional 10% to account for stormwater.
Each permit also allows for extra discharges during wet weather, up to double the normal daily amount. For example, Green Point can discharge up to 85,000 cubic meters per day during wet weather, Camps Bay up to 10,800 cubic meters per day, and Hout Bay up to 17,500 cubic meters per day.
These higher amounts are allowed because the pumps at each outfall can handle more during rainy conditions.
According to the City they found that the outfalls are within the legal limits for how much water they can release, both during dry and wet weather.
However the City’s findings were not fully accepted by those attending.
Camps Bay and Clifton Residents Association member Mark Jackson called on the City to be more transparent with their findings.
“I think the data they are representing is irrelevant and that's because they got scatter shot sampling. I also believe the City is not reporting according to our National water quality guidelines. There is a reason why standards are set up, especially with the five year rolling plan.
“In order for proper testing, you need five years of testing data, and you need to report on e-coli, with a sanitary inspection at each beach, on its own, with this data you will be able to establish if the water is excellent ,good, sufficient, or poor.”
Waterman and decorated lifesaver, Jaimii Hamiln, said even though he appreciated the meeting, he is still concerned about his and the many beachgoers' health.
“This meeting is just scratching the surface. The City, yes, is showing that they are willing to look into these issues, but there has to be greater awareness about what's really happening in our oceans.
“There needs to be a realisation that to clean up our water, we need to involve everybody. That is even why I suggested using a water quality flag system, like the blue flags so that people can become aware, I know it will work.”
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za
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