In a statement Democratic Alliance Mayoral candidate Tyrone Grey recently highlighted the issues surrounding the Percy Steward Wastewater Treatment Plant and the resulting pollution.
He said an electrical cable was stolen at the treatment pump station recently and this led to untreated sewage flowing into the Blougat Spruit for nearly a week.
“Security at the treatment plant needs to be bolstered to prevent criminals from stealing essential and critical parts that allow the plant to function.”
Although the Mogale City Electrical Department staff were on site to replace the stolen cable, the issue was only partially resolved.
“The run-down state of the wastewater treatment works stems from years of lack of maintenance and upgrades to the water pump station.”
He added that the consequences of the raw sewage being discharged can be severe not only for the municipality but for the entire water network which includes boreholes, especially in the Cradle of Humankind and the surrounding farming communities from Muldersdrift to Brits.
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The News spoke to local activist Trevor Burrough who has been highlighting the issues at the failing treatment plant for years.
He explained that he had been informed that there were no back-up generators at the plant to be used when there was a power failure, and added that years ago a sample would be taken of what was being dumped at the plant and then companies would be charged accordingly. But these days, he claimed, trucks just dump what they want – even corrosive material that could damage the plant.
Burrough also claimed that no inspections were being done to check what exactly factories were dumping into the sewer lines. He claimed that some contractors who pumped septic tanks collected abattoir waste and dumped it directly into the sewer lines. He feared that waste from diseased abattoir animals could contaminate the water and make it unfit for humans and animals.
Duncan Mkhonto, manager of water services at Mogale City responded to questions the News has raised in September already. However, the question about the availability of back-up generators at Percy Steward remained unanswered, which had become a problem as highlighted by Grey’s statement.
He did say that prior to discharging waste all tankers must obtain permission from the municipality to do so.
This process requires that samples be submitted for quality testing and a permit subsequently be issued when approval to discharge is given. This permit must always be kept in the truck and must be produced before anything could be discharged, he added.
Mkhonto said routine samples were taken to check for substances that could damage the plant.
“If trucks do not have permission to discharge and it is found that the effluent is harmful to the wastewater treatment plant and the sewer reticulation system, they are levied accordingly.”
He added that the plant’s pump stations are maintained and inspected daily by the appointed pump station maintenance contractor, and that the municipality does regular inspections at industries and monitor the industrial waste discharged into the sewer system.
“In addition to this, these industries are levied based of the quantity and average quality (# samples per month) of the effluent monthly as specified in the Water Services By-laws.”
In Mkhonto’s response received on September 23 he said, “All pump stations that lead to Percy Steward are in a working order.”
But since August the community and Burrough have seen a different side, and Burrough said that the complaint has been lodged with the Human Rights Commission, which they currently are attending to.
