The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has commenced construction on the Treated Effluent Re-use (TER) Scottsdene Pump Station after R49.2 million was invested in the project.
According to a recently released press statement by the City, the TER pump will aim to expand the accessibility of treated effluent, an alternative water source for non-potable purposes, which can significantly alleviate the demand on drinking water supply.
Also read: Almost 15 000m of pipes replaced in two months by City of Cape Town
The pump under construction is situated at the Scottsdene Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), with the pump station and filtration facility project first being initiated in September 2023.
The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in February 2025.
After the pump’s completion, it will be equipped to supply six megalitres per day of treated effluent to the Scottsdene treated effluent network, which currently extends about 3.6 kilometres. A planned extension to 14km will start in July 2024.
The treated effluent will undergo a ‘thorough treatment process’ at the WWTWs to eliminate contaminants and render it suitable for safe discharge back into the environment.
A portion of the treated effluent will undergo filtration before being distributed to customers for re-use.
The City currently produces treated effluent from nine WWTWs through ‘a network of treated effluent pipes’, 31 draw-off points, and nine collection points across the city, which serves various industries, including construction and irrigation for sports grounds, parks, schools and golf courses.
‘We are striving to become a water sensitive city where we need to preserve our valuable water resources, become water wise and explore the use of treated effluent as a viable alternative,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation.
‘Currently, our the network spans over 249km and as more investments are made, this will increase considerably in the future,’ Badroodien added.
Also read:
Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook