People sunbathe and swim at the beach.
- The City of Cape Town has reopened the Hout Bay beach.
- Water samples were taken for testing and indicated that the levels are within the minimum requirement.
- Later the health warning signs will be removed.
The city of Cape Town has reopened Hout Bay beach after tests showed water samples taken this week were within the minimum contamination requirement for recreational activities as determined by the National Water Quality Guidelines for Coastal Waters. .
Earlier this week, the City announced that it was investigating a possible source of contamination that led to the temporary closure of Hout Bay Beach as a precaution.
“Several city departments have been activated to respond to this incident. City Health will be taking water samples daily for water quality testing until levels are within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by national water quality guidelines. water quality”. “I said earlier.
The beach was temporarily closed as a precaution.
Investigations found sewer reticulation pipes and a bulk stormwater pipe (which also had illegal sewer connections) were blocked with foreign objects such as trash, rags, rugs, cans, pieces of animal carcasses, stones, pieces of brick and even cutlery.
READ | Cape Town city reopens Llandudno beach, closes Hout Bay beach and Dalebrook tidal pool
“Unfortunately, this caused an overflow at the stormwater-to-sewer diversion chamber in the area. The City’s Roads and Infrastructure Management and Water and Sanitation Departments collectively addressed the blockage and cleaned the low-flow diversion chambers of stormwater to sewer. The City continues to monitor this situation,” the City said in a statement Saturday.
Residents have been issued a stern warning not to dump waste into the sewer system.
What you can do to help prevent sewer overflows
Do not dispose of anything other than human waste and toilet paper.
Use the city’s solid waste services to dispose of your waste, not the drains. Debris entering sewer pipes will cause clogs and put pressure on and can damage sewer-related infrastructure such as pipelines, pump stations, and WWTW treatment plants.
Report sewer blockages and overflows so they can be removed in a reasonable amount of time, given the current power situation.
On Wednesday, the city reopened Llandudno beach after tests showed the water was safe.
“Tests indicated that the levels were within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by national water quality guidelines,” the city added. The City has thanked beachgoers for their cooperation when sewage-related issues temporarily affect public access to our beaches.
