Effects of oil dump could last 18 days
Councillor Henriette Fröhlich says after a site visit that the oil cannot be removed from the waterways and will eventually enter the Hennops River.
Residents south-west of Centurion might have to endure the foul smell they have experienced for another two weeks as the dumped oil makes its way through the water treatment system in Sunderland Ridge.
PR councillor Henriette Fröhlich questioned why the oil was allowed to enter the treatment works in the first place.
On Monday, January 14, Fröhlich visited the Sunderland Ridge WWTW site with councillor Prajay Ramjee.
Tshwane metro issues permits to residents and business owners, to allow them to discharge sewage or industrial effluent into the municipal sewer.
“Unfortunately, there are currently no measures in place at WWTW to check the content of tankers before they dump their effluent into the system.”
She said the companies responsible for dumping the oil have been blacklisted from using the treatment works while the Green Scorpions proceed with charges against the companies.
A process engineer who specialises in water and wastewater treatment said the plant bears ultimate responsibility and that an operator should ensure compliance at all times.
The city sets discharge limits, especially concerning fats, oils, and grease concentrations.
“The sad reality is that once oil has entered the waterways, it cannot be removed.”
Fröhlich said there is currently no feasible technology that could be used to remove the oil from the water.
She said usually, oil does make its way into the water system from stormwater drains and other sources.
According to her, it could take about 18 days for the oil-tainted effluent to go through the system and will eventually end up in the Hennops River.
The smell that residents reported becomes worse at night when the air cools.
“What we can do is make sure it never happens again,” she told Rekord.
“So we will continue as ActionSA to look at options of ensuring better quality control to prevent oil waste coming to the water treatment works so that this doesn’t happen going forward.
MMC for environment and agriculture management, Ziyanda Zwane said the Green Scorpions were investigating the matter.
“Green Scorpions is currently working with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to charge the said liquid waste service provider and the company in question criminally in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107 of 1998),” he said.
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