- The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is exploring long-term alternatives for treating effluent from marine outfalls at Hout Bay, Green Point, and Camps Bay.
- The scoping study initiated last year outlined potential sites for the new treatment works, subject to budget availability and environmental assessmentt.
- Environmentalists and stakeholders are optimistic about these plans, emphasising the importance of public engagement and careful consideration of site selection and treatment methods.
Environmentalists are excited about the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate’s proposed long-term future potential alternatives for treating effluent discharged from the marine outfalls at Hout Bay, Green Point and Camps Bay.
Last week, the City detailed options as set out in a comprehensive scoping study initiated last year, including potential new wastewater treatment works (WWTW) in these areas, estimated at a cost of R6 billion, excluding annual increases in construction related costs.
- Hout Bay: There is no viable space available directly adjacent to Hout Bay Outfall Pump Station, but the identified area is in close proximity of the pump station.
- Green Point: The identified area is at the sport fields close to the Green Point Outfall Pump Station as no space is available directly adjacent to the pump station.
- Camps Bay: Space is available directly adjacent to Camps Bay Outfall Pump Station.
“There is still a lot to be done to arrive at implementable plans, but we are committed.
“(We will find) the most suitable means to treat effluent optimally, while prioritising the well-being of the public and environment, and also considering factors such as the terrain and available space. The comprehensive scoping study puts this commitment into action,” shared Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for water and sanitation.
He added they presented all possible future alternatives listed in this study during the public participation period in the review process.
Badroodien ensured.
Friends of the Rivers of Hout Bay’s (FotRoHB) chair Jackie Whales shared her thoughts: “We look forward to the opportunity to engage with the City further with respect to the site, but are delighted that they have decided to process the wastewater using a package plant and no longer discharge untreated sewage into the sea.”
Whales also wished to recognise fellow stalwarts in the community, like Prof Leslie Petrik and Dr Jo Barnes, who invest a lot of time and care in monitoring environmental affairs in Hout Bay.
Marine Outfalls
According to the City, marine outfalls are built to safely release screened effluent far from the shore, where waste is diluted to very low levels by the vastness of the ocean, with naturally occurring biological methods helping to break down harmful bacteria.
The City operates three marine outfalls, which are located offshore, discharging beyond the intertidal zone at Hout Bay, Green Point and Camps Bay.
Last year, the City initiated a comprehensive scoping study to explore future alternatives for treating effluent discharged from the three marine outfalls, including detailed cost assessments for each proposal.
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Immediate efforts are focused on short-term strategies for refurbishment, replacement and maintenance to extend the lifespan of existing treatment infrastructure.
An estimated investment of R140 million is required for these upgrades, with R100 million already budgeted for the next financial year for mechanical and electrical upgrades, and structural enhancements.
Long-term options are focused on the development and construction of comprehensive new WWTW facilities near existing marine outfalls in Hout Bay, Camps Bay, and Green Point.
Badroodien highlighted that the site selection is conceptual, “however, a potential site for a new wastewater treatment works needs to be large enough to accommodate the required treatment infrastructure for both liquid and sludge handling strain.
More reasons motivated for the proposed sites included that the land is already owned by the City and it is located at a low point within the catchment, which inevitably puts it adjacent to a river.
“This is to maximise gravitation of wastewater from the catchment to the works, to minimise pumping – (pumping costs money in terms of electricity, it has high maintenance requirements and increases the risks of spills. This means that pumping is only implemented if necessary),” Badroodien noted.
These sites are also easily integrated into the existing sewer network as significant changes to an existing sewer network are disruptive to residents and costly.
- There is not sufficient space at the current outfall pump station location to provide a full-scale wastewater treatment works, therefore a new site will be required
- The chosen site is ideally located to intercept the existing two main sewer collectors currently leading to the Disa Pump Station (one from the east, the other from the west), and close enough to the existing Disa Pump Station which could, in turn, be used to discharge treated effluent through the existing outfall to sea, rather than directly to the river.
