Drilling for the first beach wells at Milnerton Beach has begun as the City of Cape Town moves ahead with a pilot project aimed at improving water quality and environmental conditions in the Milnerton Lagoon.

The drilling, which started on 16 September, is expected to continue for about two weeks, with water from beneath the beach expected to start being introduced into the lagoon in early October.

The City says the pilot will test whether saline groundwater can be abstracted from beneath the beach and pumped into the upper lagoon to improve flushing, dilute pollutant concentrations and increase dissolved oxygen and salinity.

Residents and beachgoers can expect to see vehicles and construction activity around the designated work areas while the wells are being installed.

Six-month trial to test intervention

The project will be followed by a six-month monitoring and evaluation period during which the City says water quality, environmental conditions and the technical performance of the system will be closely monitored.

“The commencement of drilling marks an important milestone in the City’s efforts to find practical and evidence-based solutions for the Milnerton Lagoon,” said Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews.

“This is a pilot project and its purpose is to test the intervention under real conditions while carefully monitoring its environmental performance.”

Andrews said the information gathered during the trial would help determine the future of the intervention.

“The information gathered will provide the City with evidence to determine whether the project should continue, be modified or be discontinued,” he said.

The City has asked beachgoers to avoid the work areas while drilling is underway. It will also continue working with affected stakeholders, including the Milnerton Golf Club and Sunset Links Homeowners Association.

According to the City, construction activities will be managed in accordance with applicable environmental requirements and an approved Environmental Method Statement.

The Beach Wells Project is being implemented under the requirements of a Section 28(4) Directive issued in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, with environmental monitoring, reporting and oversight forming part of the trial.

Dredging previously drew resident backlash

The beach wells project forms part of a broader programme to restore the Milnerton Lagoon.

The City has previously outlined a multi-pronged strategy involving sewer and pump-station upgrades, water-quality monitoring and other interventions.

However, proposed dredging of the lagoon has previously faced criticism from some residents and environmental voices, who questioned whether the intervention could alter the character of the lagoon and whether dredged material could create additional environmental concerns.

Gregory Nortje, an architect who has lived alongside the lagoon on Woodbridge Island for three decades, previously called for the dredging plans to be delayed while other infrastructure upgrades were completed and alternative options for dealing with dredged material were investigated.

“We are not asking them to ditch the project,” Nortje said previously, “but simply to hold off until all the infrastructure projects have been completed and to investigate other options so that everyone can win.”

He also expressed concern about the proposed method of dredging and the potential impact of depositing material along the lagoon’s banks. “This beautiful wide body of water will be reduced to an ugly, muddy thing which no one wants,” he said.

Nortje’s comments reflected concerns previously raised by some residents about the proposed dredging approach. He said the issue was not whether the lagoon should be restored, but how the restoration should be carried out.

City continues with wider restoration plan

The City has maintained that its various interventions are aimed at addressing pollution and improving the lagoon over the long term.

Previous municipal statements have pointed to sewer upgrades, pump-station improvements and ongoing monitoring as part of the wider strategy.

The new beach wells pilot now provides another intervention that can be tested under real conditions.

The City says no decision has yet been made on the long-term future of the beach wells intervention.

Instead, the six-month trial will provide data that officials will use to assess whether the system is effective and whether it should be continued, changed or stopped.

For now, residents and beach users can expect visible activity along Milnerton Beach as drilling gets underway.

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