The water quality assessment of several beaches and tidal pools in Cape Town, including Fish Hoek Beach, Strand Beach, Hout Bay Beach, and both Camps Bay tidal pools, reveals poor water quality, as reported in the City’s coastal water quality evaluation.
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The City conducts regular water testing at 90 coastal sites to determine the water quality at recreational beaches, tidal pools and coastal monitoring points. The results are then categorised as excellent, good, sufficient or poor.
Beaches and tidal pools categorised under red indicate elevated bacteria levels associated with health risks. Central False Bay, Lagoon Beach (Milnerton), Macassar to Gordon’s Bay, and Three Anchor Bay Beach are identified as locations with persistent water quality issues.
Greg Oelofse, the City’s coastal management manager, clarified that while E. coli levels along Cape Town’s coastline varied, the general quality of the water remained relatively good.
However, Professor Leslie Petrik, a water treatment expert, holds a contrary view and says swimming in the sea along Cape Town’s coastline these days is like playing Russian roulette.
Professor Petrik says that the health risks for swimmers arise from a combination of failing pump stations, sewage spilling into the sea and pollution.
She pointed out that one could refer to the City’s coastal reports to observe how frequently the beaches and recreational areas, including tidal pools, fail to meet the required safety criteria.
Petrik highlighted that, according to the reports, people are at risk when swimming, while Oelofse stated that there is a very low level of health risks associated with swimming on Cape Town’s beaches. He added that beachgoers should look out for warning signs that will indicate the safety status of swimming.
He emphasised, ‘We never can say that the water’s one hundred percent safe for swimming. So what the national water quality guidelines do and that’s because it’s an urban environment, there are sources of pollution and there’s variability of risk. So, broadly speaking, at almost all of our recreational facilities the water quality falls within either excellent or good.’
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Picture: Lisa Starr / Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement