Huge amounts of sewage are once again flowing into the Wonderfonteinspruit from a leaking pipeline on the bridge crossing the river.

For the past three years, the Herald has been reporting that the pipeline carrying all Khutsong’s wastewater to the Khutsong sewage works has been leaking at several points. The wastewater treatment works (WWTW), which is supposed to process the town’s sewage, is situated on the opposite side of the river on the road to Welverdiend.

Although the municipality occasionally repairs the pipeline, the fixes never last long before it starts leaking again. Currently, the leak on the bridge is so severe that it sprays sewage into the air, making it impossible to approach without being splashed. Pedestrians crossing the bridge in last week’s strong winds had to shield their faces to avoid the spray.

On Friday, 28 August, so much sewage gushed from the pipeline that it formed a stream running directly into the Wonderfonteinspruit. Additional leaks were also visible at the entrance to the bridge.

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Apart from the serious water pollution, the constant sewage flow could also weaken the ground and cause sinkholes, threatening the very pipeline that transports Khutsong’s wastewater to the treatment works.

Despite the ongoing crisis, the executive mayor, Nozuko Best, claimed during her recent State of the City Address that the sewage works is “under refurbishment.” However, during the Herald’s visit, the only visible work at the facility was the construction of a new boundary wall.

The Wonderfonteinspruit has long been unfit for human consumption due to decades of mining pollution, and the additional sewage pollution has only worsened the situation. While the water is not potable, livestock continue to drink from it, and the river eventually flows into the Mooi River – which supplies drinking water to Potchefstroom.