Salt Water - Water problems

From: Morne Viljoen <mviljoen@bdz.co.za>
Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 15:01:44 +0200
To: "Trevor Babich (Fishingowl)" <4_babich@fishingowl.co.za>, Rudolf <rkvdw@law.co.za>
Subject: Umhlanga beach stormwater concern

Tony Carnie
iol.co.za   November 23 2006 at 11:40AM
 
 
Tests at Umhlanga beaches suggest that the sea water and storm-water is contaminated with relatively high levels of sewage bacteria, and that the bathing water does not always meet government quality guidelines.

The independent water quality checks were done by Anthony Graham-Jolly, a fourth-year University of KwaZulu-Natal civil engineering student, in September

The results suggest that during September and October the quality of the sea water, and the storm water did not comply with international Blue Flag quality guidelines or department of water affairs guidelines for full-contact recreation.

Graham-Jolly's laboratory analysis of sea water samples showed E.Coli readings ranging from between 270 cfu (colony-forming units)/100ml and 600 cfu/100ml at several samples sites from Lighthouse Beach in the south to Bronze Beach in the north. Two other samples taken near Lighthouse Beach ranged between 620 cfu and 1 070 cfu.
 
The presence of E.Coli is an indicator of faecal pollution from animals, birds or humans. department of water affairs guidelines recommend that E.Coli levels should not regularly exceed 100 cfu.

Graham-Jolly, who tested the water as part of his final thesis, said he did not think the sea water contamination would cause regular cases of sickness among bathers - but he warned that the storm-water drains were quite heavily polluted and parents should not allow their children to swim in the stormwater overflow which ran directly over the beach sand.

He emphasised that his results were collected over a relatively short month-long period, rather than over a full calendar year, and that more research might be necessary to determine the full extent and significance of the problem. He also suggested that the eThekwini municipality should consider erecting signs warning that children should not play in storm water on the beaches.

There are about 30 storm-water outlets which drain directly on to the Umhlanga beaches and a better engineering solution would be to redirect the flow away from the beaches, or to extend the outlets to drain into the wave zone, where storm-water pollution would be diluted rapidly.

Although most of Graham-Jolly's tests showed E.Coli readings above government guidelines, some much higher isolated levels (between 800 cfu and one million cfu) were recorded in 1998 at Lighthouse Beach by municipal officials.
 
A spokesperson for the eThekwini Scientific services department acknowledged on Wednesday that Graham-Jolly's tests were a cause for concern, but only if these levels were found consistently over several weeks. She said her department conducted similar tests every fortnight and samples collected in the weeks after Graham-Jolly's had shown much lower readings.

Nevertheless, the municipal spokesperson acknowledged that consistent readings of 200-400 cfu/100ml could result in health impacts for some bathers and that all readings above 400 cfu needed to be investigated and remedied quickly to avoid the risk of gastro-enteritis or skin infections. She said municipal officials had been working closely with businesses and the hospitality industry to avoid contamination of storm water when rubbish bins were washed out, and to improve waste management at taxi ranks.

She did not believe it was necessary to erect warning signs near storm-water outlets at Umhlanga's main bathing beaches. But, as a general rule, she said it was not advisable to swim within 24 hours of heavy rains or within 50m of a storm-water drain.

"I don't believe that there is any reason for concern or alarm for bathers, although there is always room for improvement," she said.

Morné Viljoen

Natural Resources Law Department
BDZ Attorneys
(W) (011) 886-4628
(F)  (011) 886-4452
(C)  083-395-3929