Community stakeholders and representatives from municipal entities held a site meeting on Thursday, September 18, to address the influx of sewage into Florida Lake through the stormwater system at Fourth Road and Maud Street.

Upon arrival at the site, entity representatives requested that the meeting be held upwind from the problem site due to the accompanying stench.

The community was represented by Florida South Residents Association chairperson Rodney Churchyard and service delivery activist Gert Swanepoel, better known as Gauteng Guru.

Representatives from entities present were Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Johannesburg Water (JW), Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), the Citizen Relationship and Urban Management Department, and Environment and Infrastructure Services.

• Also read: Massive sewage problem at Florida Lake

The meeting was chaired by Ward 70 councillor Caleb Finn, who outlined the history of the problem.

Churchyard explained to the gathered officials the extent of the negative effects on the lake and outlined the problem areas and frequently blocked drains that contribute to the sewage overflow.

“One problem we have is that JW contractors don’t effectively deal with blockages,” he says.

“Even when they are using the high-pressure jet truck, they simply move the blockage down to the next drain. Sometimes they are barely gone an hour when a new blockage is revealed at the next drain down the line.”

Another problem discussed was that of built-up silt at this and other stormwater inlets into the lake, and it was agreed that an application to remove more than the normal allowed quota of silt from the inlets would be submitted.

JW undertook to identify problem drains, while JRA agreed to try and expedite the availability of an excavator for the silt to be removed.