Cape Town’s tap water continues to meet an excellent standard of drinking water quality, according to the latest annual report published by the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate. The report covers the period 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 and provides a detailed overview of water quality across the city’s supply systems. 

The results are measured against the South African National Standard for drinking water (SANS 241:2015), which sets requirements for assessing drinking water quality and its suitability for human consumption.
 
Cape Town’s municipal drinking water supply passed the assessments across the applicable water quality criteria. Samples were collected from all 11 water supply systems assessed, with the analysis covering a range of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters.
 
These results are supported by an extensive monitoring programme that tracks water quality from treatment plants through the network of reservoirs and pipelines supplying communities across Cape Town.

Caption 1: Nicole Williams (Scientific Services) prepares a drinking water sample for trihalomethane (THM) analysis.

How drinking water quality is monitored

• Water from dams is purified at 12 water treatment plants.
• Each plant has an on-site laboratory where drinking water is tested every two hours - every day of the year.
• About 200 drinking water samples are collected weekly at various sampling points. This means water quality is monitored by Water and Sanitation’s Scientific Services teams as it flows through the 10 800 km network of pumps, reservoirs and pipelines to get to our taps.

‘Maintaining excellent drinking water quality requires consistent leadership, skilled people and sustained investment across the entire water supply system. These results reflect the work of hundreds of staff who treat, test and monitor Cape Town’s water every day, from our treatment plants to residents’ taps.
 
‘Our responsibility is not only to maintain the standards Cape Town has achieved, but to strengthen the resilience of the system for the future. As the city grows and climate pressures increase, we will continue investing in modern treatment processes, scientific monitoring, infrastructure maintenance and the skills needed to protect the quality and security of Cape Town’s drinking water.

Caption 2: Siphesihle Magqazolo (Scientific Services) analyses a drinking water sample for nitrates, nitrites, sulphates, fluorides, chlorides and colour.

‘Transparent reporting remains central to this approach. We encourage residents to read the annual report and familiarise themselves with the results, because public confidence must be supported by credible scientific evidence and open access to information,’ said Alderman Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.
 
The annual report and quarterly tap water quality reports are available on the City's website.
 
Monthly water quality updates are also available through the National Department of Water and Sanitation’s My Water information portal at http://ws.dwa.gov.za/IRIS/mywater.aspx.
 
Residents can learn more about the City’s water quality assurance processes by watching the video.