Salt Rock stream pollution not a flag risk, says KwaDukuza Municipality
Fears have been raised in the past of the potential natural breach of the stream, which could pose a risk to the beach.
Salt Rock ward councillor Privi Makhan believes attempts to obtain Blue Flag status for Salt Rock’s main beach will continue to fail until nearby water quality threats are eliminated.
The KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) disagrees.
The Salt Rock stream, which runs out at the beach but does not reach the ocean, is regularly contaminated with high levels of E.coli, most notably in September last year when a Siza Water quality report indicated E.coli levels too high to count.
The contamination has killed off numerous river species such as eels, crabs and small fish.
Although no recent readings were available, Makhan said the stream remains contaminated and will continue to negatively impact KDM’s efforts to get Blue Flag beach status passed.
“Blue Flag applications have been submitted for as long as I can remember,” said Makhan, noting that other efforts had been made to bring the beachfront in line with requirements, such as last year’s R1.2-million upgrade of the ablution facilities.
Makhan added that while the benefits of Blue Flag status would be beneficial in driving tourism and the local economy, “there needs to be an aligned vision from all authorities in terms of water quality, infrastructure upgrades and the general aesthetic upkeep of facilities.”
Siza Water operations manager, Kobus Fourie said it made sense that limited traces of E.coli could be found in the stream, owing to most properties in the area being on septic tank systems.
Fourie elaborated they had received environmental approvals to install water-borne sewerage systems in the area with upgrades due later this year.
Three KwaDukuza municipal beaches currently boast Blue Flag status, namely Willard Beach, Thompson’s Bay and Blythedale Beach.
Salt Rock is the only other beach in KwaDukuza for which an application for Blue Flag status has been made.
KDM has so far invested some R10-million into upgrading the beaches within its jurisdiction.
KwaDukuza municipal spokesperson Sipho Mkhize said having Blue Flag status at Salt Rock main beach will give it international recognition, a boost in tourism and will further market the area, which in turn will have beneficial economic rewards.
He said there has been engagement with a number of stakeholders and that relevant control measures had been agreed upon to prevent “future challenges”.
These include emergency measures to deal with spillages, as was the case in mid-June when Thompson’s Bay was temporarily closed owing to a sewage spill along Simbithi Drive.
Addressing the potential threat of the Salt Rock stream on the nearby beach, Mkhize said the beach bathing areas had constantly been in the safe, green zone. “The stream has not affected the water quality in the bathing area.”
“Contaminations have mainly been from sewer lines under the control of Siza Water,” said Mkhize.
Fourie said that systems do not always work as designed, however.
“In a perfect world, we would not have fat, sand and other objects infiltrating the system – sometimes even beach towels,” said Fourie, highlighting that such obstructions could lead to failures.
Fears have been raised in the past of the potential natural breach of the stream, which could pose a risk to the beach.
The municipality is in the process of finalising its application for Blue Flag beach status at Salt Rock via The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa.
“We have had a number of engagements with stakeholders on mitigating issues which have been problematic, and we are confident that we are able to affirm the state of the facility being in order,” said Mkhize.
Follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube for breaking news
Telegram Broadcast Service: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0
