Cape Town - Despite its contingency measures such as mobile generators and telemetry systems at its sewer infrastructure, the severe load shedding was making it logistically impossible to entirely prevent sewer overflows, the City said.
This as two of the city’s beaches, Muizenberg and Fish Hoek, recently reopened after a brief closure last week and this week. The City, however, maintains that the Blue Flag status which the two beaches currently hold doesn’t just disappear because of a sewage spill.
The cause of the Fish Hoek beach closure was traced to a blocked sewer pipeline while the sewage spill in Muizenberg beach was caused by an electrical fault at the pump station which resulted in the pump failure and caused wastewater to overflow.
Of the 51 full-status beaches and 20 pilot beaches in the country, the Western Cape currently has 33 full Blue Flag status beaches and five pilot beaches. Eight of these are Cape Town beaches, including the Fish Hoek and Muizenberg beaches.
These were awarded for the 2022/23 summer season.
Acting Water and Sanitation mayco member Siseko Mbandezi said the majority of blockages across the city were caused by the misuse of the sewer system.
He said the impact of adverse human behaviour – theft and vandalism which lead to the dumping of foreign objects into the sewer reticulation system – caused blockages of the sewer network and sewer pump stations.
Regarding the sewage pollutants being detrimental to the Blue Flag status of the beaches, Community Services and Health mayco member Patricia van der Ross said water quality was measured cumulatively, over four years, and that Muizenberg did not fail the standards for Blue Flag water quality.
She said in the case of a failed water sample, the Blue Flag was lowered, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) was informed, and the flag was raised again once water readings were of an excellent rating.
Wessa national coastal co-ordinator Tevya Lotriet said when sewage spills were not properly managed, and occurred regularly at Blue Flag beaches, they had the potential to impact bathing water quality and compliance with the Blue Flag water quality criteria.
Lotriet said the two beaches were still considered Blue Flag beaches.
In Muizenberg, Lotriet said the Blue Flag was lowered and Wessa was informed, however it was raised again after the latest water quality results from an independent lab indicated no pollution.
Meanwhile, in Fish Hoek, the Blue Flag remains lowered until the organisation receives compliant water quality results from the independent lab.
Lotriet said at the end of the season and upon a new application for Blue Flag season 2023/24, all of the issues that took place during the season would be assessed by the independent national jury and the site was either re-awarded or denied the Blue Flag based on how they had responded to these non-compliances.