After months of being closed, Rietvlei will be the first of the three vleis to reopen after the public was barred from utilising the water body following water quality concerns.
Rietvlei has been closed since December due to high levels of E.coli found in the water, according to testing conducted by the City of Cape Town. However, the Milnerton Aquatic Club reportedly had some concerns and indicated that the City may not have been completely transparent when it came to the result of the tests, reports The Daily Maverick.
The Milnerton Aquatic Club, which is located on the vlei, took it upon itself to conduct its own water quality tests on 31 December 2021, and then again on 17 January and 25 January 2022.
These tests were then compared to tests conducted by the City.
While the City’s results found that the water posed an “unacceptable risk” to public health, private testing conducted by the Milnerton Aquatic Club found minimal or “almost undetectable” amounts of E. coli in the water, as per IOL.
A joint sampling was then conducted with the Milnerton Aquatic Club, the National Department of Water and Sanitation, the South African Bureau of Standards, and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, after the club‘s independent findings were presented to the City.
Responding to the results, Mayco member of Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said an investigation would be conducted to determine what caused the differences between the samples. He emphasised that the City‘s Scientific Services Branch is an accredited laboratory with a stellar reputation.
“Standardised quality control testing and inter-laboratory comparison is conducted on City test results on an ongoing basis and shows that the correct standards are being met,” Badroodien said.
Additional water quality testing will be conducted at Zandvlei and Zeekoevlei, which are closed due to high levels of E.coli.
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COCT releases water quality test results for Cape Town vleis
Picture: Rietvlei Facebook