City releases Know Your Coast, 2019 report on coastal water quality
20 March 2020
Statement by the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Niewoudt
The City of Cape Town has released the Know Your Coast, 2019 report on the quality of coastal water at recreational beaches and monitoring points along the Atlantic and False Bay coastlines.
The report covers coastal water quality over a period of five years, from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019, drawing on statistical analysis of over 10 000 sample bacterial tests from 90 nodes along Cape Town’s 307 km of coastline.
The report is now available on the City’s website, click on this link: https://bit.ly/2U2Tv2C
The City regrets that we have to release this report online, and not at public briefings as we had intended. The briefings had to be cancelled in keeping with the National Government’s prohibition on gatherings of 100 people or more, in an effort to contain the spreading of COVID-19.
Thus, I request residents, industry, and stakeholders to go online, and read the report. It provides a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the water quality at all of our popular beaches; the key findings, as well as the way forward in addressing the identified challenges.
Going forward, the Know Your Coast report will be released annually in the first quarter of each year. A web-based portal will also go live in the near future as part of the City’s commitment to transparent environmental water quality information.
In summary, the key findings of the 2019 report are as follows:
Atlantic coastline: In 2019, the water quality at 23 out of the 26 recreational beaches and tidal pools (88%) met the minimum requirement for recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, etc.
False Bay coastline: In 2019, the water quality at 16 of the 27 recreational beaches and tidal pools (59%) met the minimum requirement for recreational activities
Overall, water quality was found to be poor at 14 recreational beaches and tidal pools. In most cases, the ‘poor’ water quality rating can be attributed to three or fewer samples (discrete spikes in bacteria counts), as opposed to consistently high counts of bacteria
Beaches that do not have stormwater outlets or are far away from river mouths, usually have ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ water quality ratings – this highlights the impact of urban pollution on the coastline, and waste via the stormwater system and rivers on nearshore coastal water quality
Areas with chronic coastal water quality problems are:
- Lagoon Beach
- Three Anchor Bay
- central False Bay; and
- Macassar to Gordon’s Bay
The City is determined to improve coastal water quality in areas with chronic problems, and will implement interventions to see an incremental improvement of the water quality along the False Bay coast in particular.
Working together with industry and residents, we are committed to addressing the multiple sources of coastal and inland pollution.
This is in line with the newly launched Cape Town Water Strategy’s vision of transitioning to a Water Sensitive City over the next 20 years.
The quality of Cape Town’s coastal water concerns all of us.
Collectively, Cape Town’s residents, industry and visitors produce 500 million of wastewater per day. The City relies on its sewer network, wastewater treatment works, and the assimilative capacity of the environment, to manage this wastewater effluent on our behalf.
A strong partnership is required between the City, Capetonians and visitors to collectively reduce the amount of waste and pollution we are releasing into our natural environment. The importance of this partnership cannot be overstated.
Together we can integrate the urban water cycle, build resilience and protect Cape Town’s sensitive natural ecosystems.
All of us need to change our collective behaviour in terms of how we consume, produce, and dispose of waste. By sharing the responsibility, we will improve our coastal water quality.
Going forward, the City is committed to:
• Promoting public education and awareness, and disclosure
The Know Your Coast report will be released in the first quarter of the year, presenting the results of the preceding year.
We will facilitate public access to information by creating a web-based portal where the public can access updated information on coastal water quality every second week. This new bi-weekly reporting is expected to be live in the near future.
We will install pollution warning signage at designated recreational beaches that are considered to be impacted by chronic pollution and which have a ‘poor’ rating for two or more consecutive years including 2019.
The updated coastal sewage spill protocol will further ensure a rapid City response where there may be risk to using a recreational beach.
• Robust enforcement operations
Robust enforcement operations will crack down on illicit discharges. A City-wide stormwater mapping project to pinpoint pollution sources will be completed by June 2020.
• Major upgrades worth R6,8 billion taking place at Waste Water Treatment Works
These upgrades are taking place between now and 2025. New technology and capacity is progressively being added. This includes membrane reactors at larger plants, which will result in treated effluent that is close to potable standards.
• Improving operations and infrastructure
Operations related to sewer pump stations, sewer blockages and overflows will be improved. Detailed assessments of stormwater systems will be undertaken where the coastal water quality is rated ‘poor’ to identify and control sources of contamination.
Strengthening the management of inland waterways and catchments as inland water has a direct impact on coastal water quality.
Working towards resilient eco-systems, guided by our green infrastructure strategy.
Strengthening the monitoring and accountability by driving two technical teams, namely the inland task team and the coastal task team.
Monitoring the success of this approach through piloting the ‘Source to Sea’ project at identified catchments.
We are committed to working with residents and stakeholders under the vision of a Water Sensitive City, with safe access to water and sanitation for all.
Each one of us has an important contribution to make.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
