Sewage pumped into Cape Town ocean negatively impacting marine life – expert

Sewage pumped into Cape Town ocean negatively impacting marine life – expert

• Local, News

• March 16, 2024

Environmental and chemical expert, Professor Leslie Petrik says sewage being pumped into the ocean around the Cape Peninsula is making a huge negative impact on marine life.

The City of Cape Town submitted a public participation report on marine outfalls permits to the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment (DFFE).

This follows ongoing public outcry about the city’s outfalls, particularly in Hout Bay for releasing more sewage than its permit allows.

Petrik, who leads the Environmental and Nano Sciences group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Western Cape said marine organisms along the Cape coast are being exposed to a number of chemicals and metals.

“The impact zones are much larger than what the city tells the minister. They claim that the impact zone is about 300 metres from the outfall whereas we’re finding these chemicals up to thirty kilometres away from the outfalls.”

The city said it has been exploring new sewage treatment measures at its three marine outfalls in Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay.

PERMITS IN LIMBO

The city is still waiting on the DFFE to decide whether the municipality’s permit to pump sewage into the ocean will be renewed.

It recently submitted a public participation report to the department, which will now assess the public’s appeals and then decide whether the permit should be granted.

Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the city received close to 2,000 comments in the public participation report.

Badroodien said some of the concerns raised by the public included the impact on the environment and tourism.

“They focused predominantly around environmental protection, but then also linked to the impact on tourism, then also the health of residents and businesses who may swim in that particular area.”

Badroodien said the city was exploring new short-term and long-term sewage treatment measures, but these will prove costly, and that it could be some time before the new technology was introduced.

Aneeqa Du Plessis

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Excellent water quality results refute Camps Bay misinformation, says City CPT

 

The latest water quality sampling results for Camps Bay are excellent as per analysis by the independent SABS Laboratory, says the City in a media release.

It said samples taken on Friday January 19, and released on Monday evening, January 22, refute misinformation on social media about the beach and its coastal water quality.

The City said over the past few weeks a social media user has been spreading misinformation that lighter patches along the shoreline at Camps Bay and Green Point are indicative of sewage

Eddie Andrews, the City’s deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, said on January 19, the City undertook an open and transparent water quality sampling test at Camps Bay in the white discoloured area, and off Granger Bay. This is where the same kelp mucus was seen that was presented as sewage on social media.

The City said it invited a representative from the Camps Bay community, an independent civil engineer, and an independent marine scientist, to witness the sampling and the community representative even went with to deliver the six water samples at the independent SABS Laboratory for analysis.

“We received the results from the SABS for all six samples on the evening of Monday, January 22. As expected, the results for all samples are excellent by global standards of coastal water quality,” said Mr Andrews.

The water samples were analysed by the SABS Lab for the number of enterococci per 100ml, the World Health Organization’s Gold Standard for water quality analysis. The cut-off is 180 enterococci per 100ml. In some cases nothing was detected in the samples, and in some the count was as low as 1.

“Coastal water quality sampling in Cape Town is done more often than at any other coastal city in South Africa. The results and supportive data are published on our website, and are accessible to all as part of our commitment to transparency about the water quality along our coastline,” Mr Andrews said.

He said the natural breakdown of kelp, algae and phytoplankton in Cape Town’s waters is very common and both have an unpleasant smell and discolouration. “Foam on the water’s surface or on the beach is as a result of the organic matter breaking down, not sewage. I can therefore assure all that the white colouration at Camps Bay is not caused by any human pollution, but is most likely calcium carbonate leaching from the beach and nearshore environment,” Mr Andrews said.

The City’s latest coastal water quality sampling results show excellent water quality for Camps Bay, and across key recreational beaches and nodes. The results can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/3Z5EwDY

https://bit.ly/3T58SGw

By

 OWN Correspondent

 January 31, 2024

Camps Bay Blue Flag lowered and raised again 24 hours later

Rags and fats were to blame for the clogged sewage and resultant spill at Camps Bay beach on Saturday, according to the City of Cape Town.

Eyewitnesses say the mess flowed onto the popular beach.

The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa was questioned regarding awarding Blue Flag certification to the beach last year (Questions about Cape Town’s Blue Flag beaches, October 26, 2023), much to the dismay of environmentalists.

The City of Cape Town was notified of the inconvenience and cleaned up the debris within hours of the incident.

The Blue flag was lowered and raised again during this time.

“The sewage leak was reported to me at 11.37am by a member of the public. I immediately made contact with the City of Cape Town and instructed them to lower the flag. The City confirmed the flag was lowered as of 12.35pm and indicated that teams would be responding to the incident. The blockage was cleared on the same day at around 6.13pm,” said Tevya Lotriet, the senior sustainability programme manager for WESSA.

“After the City cleared the blockage and contaminated sand, the cause was confirmed to be rags (foreign objects) as well as fats blocking the line. The sewage did not reach the ocean. The flag was raised again the next day (Sunday) during the lifeguard operational hours,” she said.

The City’s Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien confirmed the blockage and the cause.

“The spill did not reach the ocean. The cause of the blockage was foreign objects in the system, namely rags and fats,” said Dr Badroodien.

He added that residents are reminded that they can help prevent such sewer blockages and overflows by:

• Disposing of unwanted materials using the appropriate solid waste collections and disposal services.

• Ensuring only human waste, toilet paper and grey water be disposed via sinks and toilets in homes and communities. It is illegal for residents to place any another materials into the system because it causes overflows due to blockage.

• Putting a strainer in the sink to catch food or other waste before it goes down the drain and creates blockages.

• Wiping cooking fats, oil or grease off the pan, and don’t pour it down the drain.

• Not flushing nappies and sanitary products, they absorb water and expand, which causes blockages.

• Checking that rainwater gutters don’t flow into the sewer system, as it overloads the system.

• Visiting the City’s drop-off facilities to dispose of recyclables, electronics, garage waste and builder’s rubble.

Mark Jackson, an environmental activist and film-maker, says that this was not a once-off problem as he receives complaints about sewage spills via Facebook and WhatsApp regularly.

“I do hear of sewage spills every other week and the mess does reach the beach, so people have seen it and they do speak about it. It seems that the City’s sewage system is under capacity and the City needs to invest in improving it,” Mr Jackson said.

“Today (Tuesday, January 16), I was notified of another sewage mess on the beach, and Dr Badroodien is correct in recommending that people should not dispose of wet wipes. They (the City) should consider implementing a by-law prohibiting the use of these wet wipes. I must just add that despite objections, plans are in the works to build a 100-bed hotel that will add to this problem,” he said, referring to the development of the hotel on Beach Road.

https://bit.ly/4bDbsuF

By

 Shahied Joseph

 January 18, 2024

CBCRA AFS 2022

CBCRA AGM

 

REMINDER CBCRA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Please join us at the CBCRA AGM 2023 TONIGHT Monday 04 December 2023 17h30 - registration 18h00 - start of the meeting

MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED TONIGHT INCLUDE: The unlawfully approved plans for the 100-room hotel on the Beachfront and the legal battle by CBCRA Guest speaker: Dr Leon van Rensburg How the City claim that the 55 million litres of raw sewerage that it pumps into the Atlantic seaboard is healthy Dealing with the homeless Camps Bay cleaning The establishment of a CID in Camps Bay

VENUE Camps Bay High School Hall, Lower Kloof Rd, Camps Bay Refreshments will be served.

Copyright (C) 2023 Camps Bay & Clifton Ratepayers Association. All rights reserved.

CID explained video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJvKaLyotg&t=94s