Dredging under way at Home Bay section of Zeekoevlei
24 May 2026
The City wants to inform the public that the dredging of Zeekoevlei in the False Bay Nature Reserve is progressing well. The dredger is now operating from Home Bay, after the dredging of Storm Bay was concluded last month with 207 000m³ of sediment being removed from this section of the vlei.
The City commenced with its first vlei dredging in 42 years on 30 June 2025, when a floating suction dredger and a team of 15 personnel started operations at the Storm Bay section of Zeekoevlei that is located in the False Bay Nature Reserve. Since then, the floating dredger has been operating from Storm Bay for about 10 months where up to 207 000m³ of sediment have been dredged.
The work in this section of the vlei is now complete.
Earlier this month, the dredger was moved to Home Bay to commence with the dredging of 157 000m³ of sediment. If all goes as planned, the dredging project should be concluded early in 2027.
‘The dredging of Zeekoevlei is a key investment and delivers on our commitment to restore, improve and protect our vleis. With the dredging, we are removing the sediment that has accumulated over time, and reducing nutrient build-up that contributes to poor water quality,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
Given that Home Bay is further from the dewatering site, the contractor had to install an additional 2 000m of pipeline, as well as a booster pump.
‘The dredger is moored with 2,5-ton concrete mooring blocks. All 16 mooring blocks were moved from Storm Bay to Home Bay during the relocation to this section of the vlei. The dredger itself was disconnected from the pipeline in Storm Bay and towed to Home Bay with a support vessel. This operation and the preparations for the dredging of the second section took about three weeks,’ said Alderman Andrews.
The working hours are as follows:
Dredging information
The total volume of sediment to be dredged from Home Bay is 157 000m³ and is estimated to take about 10 months
Hydrographic surveys of the dredged area are conducted every two weeks to measure the progress
The dredged sediment is being pumped from Zeekoevlei via a 6,3 km long slurry pipeline to ponds for dewatering and storage
The slurry pipeline crosses several roads within the area, among which Governors Walk and Peninsula Road
The supernatant water is pumped from the dewatering ponds to the Cape Flats WWTWs via a 2,3 km long pipeline
Some 15 000m³ of rock material was used in constructing the mound bund walls at the dewatering ponds to assist with the dewatering and drying of the dredged sediment
Dewatering sumps are located around the perimeter of the dewatering ponds to assist with the drainage of supernatant water to the Cape Flats WWTWs
The City would like to thank all the residents of Zeekoevlei for their patience and ongoing support during this operation.
Caption: Zeekoevlei is located in the False Bay Nature Reserve, a Ramsar site of international importance for wetlands. The City is also accredited as a Ramsar City. Improving water quality is a key international commitment.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
