With the festive season fast approaching, Cape Town’s beaches are making waves for all the right reasons, Cape {town} Etc reports. The City of Cape Town has announced that its most popular beaches boast world-class water quality, based on independent water sample analyses.
In a statement, the City revealed that 100% of the 120 water samples collected over the past month met recreational water quality guidelines. Since August 2024, only 2.3% of the 300 samples exceeded acceptable limits, typically due to rainfall or isolated pollution incidents.
‘We’re excited to provide residents and visitors with transparent and up-to-date information on water quality through our new Summer Dashboard, accessible on the City’s website,’ the City said in a statement. The dashboard will deliver weekly updates, detailing the latest enterococci counts – an internationally recognised indicator for water safety.
Accessing the summer dashboard
The Summer Dashboard covers 30 of Cape Town’s most frequented beaches across the Atlantic and False Bay coastlines, including iconic spots like Clifton 4th Beach, Camps Bay, Muizenberg and Gordon’s Bay. It provides the most recent 10 water quality test results at each location, reflecting patterns over the last 2.5 months.
‘By offering the latest results, we’re empowering the public to make informed choices about where to enjoy Cape Town’s stunning coastline,’ the statement added.
Highlights from recent research
In addition to routine sampling, intensive research was conducted at several key beaches over the past year. Among the findings:
- Camps Bay Beach: A 12-month study involving 371 samples confirmed consistently high water quality.
- Green Point: Daily samples from August to November 2024 confirmed no wastewater discharge from the old outfall pipe, with ‘good’ water quality ratings.
- Strand Beach: Weekly and daily samples over the past year confirmed compliance with recreational standards, barring short-term dips following rainfall.
The City anticipates publishing similar reports for Hout Bay soon.
Caution around rainfall events
The City noted that while water quality is generally excellent, rainfall can temporarily impact coastal water safety. Residents are advised to stay informed using the Summer Dashboard, as water quality results are typically available about four days after sampling.
‘Cape Town’s beaches are ready for a bumper tourist season,’ the City emphasised, inviting residents and visitors to explore the dashboard and research reports online.
For detailed water quality updates and to access the Summer Dashboard, visit the City of Cape Town’s official website here.
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Picture: kylefromthenorth / Unsplash
