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Let’s cheers to City’s ‘excellent’ drinking water quality

<table width="100%" class="ms-rteTable-default" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="ms-rteTable-default" style="width:100%;"> Know your drinking water:<ul><li>Water is purified at 12 water treatment plants. </li><li>Each of them has an on-site laboratory where drinking water is tested every two hours - every day of the year. </li><li> Every year, more than 472 300 chemical and biological tests are performed on the water entering the treatment plants and on the treated water that leaves the plants and enters the reservoirs and distribution network</li><li> More than 250 drinking water samples are collected weekly at sampling points across the entire distribution network. Thus water quality is monitored as it flows through the 10 800km network of pumps, reservoirs and pipelines to get to our taps.</li><li>City water (including sanitation services) costs approximately 4c per litre* compared to around R10 per litre for shop-bought bottled water (*based on first 10 500 litres used and 15mm water meter).</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table> The City of Cape Town’s tap water has for many years maintained ‘excellent’ compliance status with South African national drinking water quality standard SANS 241, and the latest annual Water Quality Report shows that this track record remains unbroken. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/DSC_6216.jpg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure> A key component of ensuring this continued excellence is the City’s Scientific Services Branch based in Athlone, whose staff complement includes a range of highly qualified scientists and technicians in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology, microbiology, biology, and chemical science, among others. Working from a laboratory equipped with some of the most sophisticated water testing instrumentation in the water industry, the branch has consistently been recognised as a centre of excellence among South African municipalities. ‘The City’s latest Annual Water Quality Report for July 2020 to June 2021 confirms that the high quality of drinking water quality that residents have come to expect when they open their taps remains excellent. This is in accordance with the strict water quality checks as prescribed by the National Department of Water and Sanitation, and involves a rigorous process in which water quality is closely monitored via a large number of water samples analysed according to the stringent South African National Standards (SANS241: 2015) requirements. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/DSC_6346.jpg" alt="" style="width:928px;" /> </figure>‘Residents are encouraged to view this report, available on the City’s website, which includes analytical data and the corresponding approximate water distribution area in Cape Town. The report was compiled by the City’s Scientific Services Branch,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.Team behind the ‘excellence’ Scientific Services play an important role in water quality assurance, but are by no means the only stop along the way of the water journey.‘I want to thank all our staff, from the water treatment plants where the journey begins, to the reservoirs where it is temporarily stored, to the reticulation teams who ensure this clean drinking water travels safely and reliably to us when we open our taps. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/DDA3A686-C83A-4BAE-81F7-5390407449BD.jpg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure>‘Our qualified technical staff and scientists also make sure our treatment plants and processes are certified in terms of the ISO 9001 international Quality Management System. On top of that, each year our ISO 17025 accredited Scientific Services laboratory in Athlone conducts tens of thousands of tests from over 250 water sample points across Cape Town to ensure water is safe for our residents. ‘We also want to thank residents for their contribution in ensuring our drinking water excellence track record remains unchanged. When you pay your water bills, you are helping to cover the cost of providing this service through the existing supply systems, as well as investing in the alternative supply projects currently under way to ensure a safe, reliable water supply of municipal water in years to come, even during times of drought. The City’s New Water Programme (NWP), which aims to deliver around 300 million litres (Mℓ) per day by 2030 through groundwater abstraction, desalination and water reuse, is geared to protect us against the effects of future climate shocks, where there is sufficient – excellent – water for all residents. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/D1263931-E41B-4C7B-A5EB-8E7FF22A742B.jpg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure>‘Your contribution helps to maintain a 20 000km water and sewer network, 893 million m3 in dam capacity, 603 pump stations, 26 wastewater treatment facilities, 12 water treatment plants, and 129 water reservoirs and over 670 000 metered water customers,’ said Alderman Limberg.More information:<ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">The annual tap water quality reports from 2014 are available on the City’s website. See <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/waterquality" target="_blank">www.capetown.gov.za/waterquality</a></div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Regular monthly updates are also available on the National Department of Water and Sanitation’s ‘My Water’ page for water quality. <a href="http://ws.dwa.gov.za/IRIS/mywater.aspx" target="_blank">http://ws.dwa.gov.za/IRIS/mywater.aspx</a></div></li></ul> Captions: 1. City’s drinking water has excellent compliance status. 2. A water treatment plant. 3. Reticulation teams ensure infrastructure is maintained. 4. City invests in new water pipelines. 5. Scientific Services continue to monitor the quality of our excellent drinking water. (in the dropbox link) End

2021-10-28T22:00:00Z

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