The continuous closure of sections of Strand Beach over the past two months due to overflowing sewerage took a turn for the worse on Monday 16 October, when repairs along the Trappies pipeline in Joubert Street were affected by another problem.
A very high sewage flow meant delays, as most of the time the contractor needed to block the flow and overpump to be able to work.
The resultant overflow in Joubert Street contaminated stormwater drains and flowed into the Lourens River Estuary and the ocean.
“We cannot train and use the water,” said Earle van der Watt from the club, “it’s just seems to be worsening. People are getting sick so no one is swimming or doing water sports. The sewage flow into the ocean on Monday was huge.”
Concern was also expressed by Jamii Hamlin, who represents surfers and other beach users, who has for long complained that the warning system to advise the public of the beach closure was not effective.
“We have to request the implementation of a Water Quality Flag System similar to Shark Spotters,” he advised.
According to Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien, among challenges in this specific instance was that to do the necessary upgrades to the Trappies sewer line, teams blocked off the sewer pipe to install the new pipe. The pumps could not cope with the sewer volume, which led to the overflows.
“Our Water and Sanitation Directorate team has met with the contractor to explore options to mitigate the sewer overflows during high flows while the over-pumping is in progress,” Badroodien said. “This also included considering shifting the operations to night-time when the flow in the network is lower. To remain compliant with relevant environmental standards, diversion to the overflow pond is not an option and additional pumps are also restricted by the manhole size. The replacement is still in progress.”
He also confirmed it was decided to adopt an alternative approach, which involves switching over to night-time operations when the sewer has a much lower flow, enabling the contractor to achieve its objective without any further delays.
This means the over-pumping will occur throughout the night and, for this purpose, the silent operating mobile pumps will be brought on site.
In response to questions on the beach closure, Badroodien confirmed site visits had been conducted on Tuesday 17 October, which included a meeting with the Lifesaving Club, reviewing the signage and doing water sampling.
The City wishes to appeal to residents in the immediate vicinity of Joubert Street to exercise patience while this night-time work is in progress. It will last for the next four nights, providing sufficient time for the damaged pipe section to be replaced.
