Cape Town’s three marine outfalls at Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay continue to meet regulatory requirements, with the latest monitoring confirming that surrounding coastal waters remain within recommended limits for recreational use.
The findings were presented at the Permit Advisory Forum on 24 April.
Coastal water quality holds steady
Monthly monitoring conducted between January and March this year shows that coastal water quality remains within recommended guidelines, confirming that the outfalls are not negatively affecting recreational water quality at nearby beaches.
The City of Cape Town said, during this period 477 seawater samples were collected around the three outfalls. More than 98% of samples complied with guideline limits, confirming that natural ocean processes continue to effectively dilute and disperse treated effluent as designed.
A small number of exceedances – approximately 1,7% – were recorded, mainly within the immediate mixing zones offshore and close to the outfall discharge points, where occasional elevated readings are expected. Additional sampling was undertaken at the edges of mixing zones during summer to validate dispersion performance under peak conditions, the City said.
Outfalls stable and fully operational
All three marine outfalls remained fully operational during the reporting period, with no environmental incidents recorded. Marine conditions remain stable and well oxygenated, while infrastructure continues to perform as designed.
Internal City laboratory results and independently audited external laboratory results, show strong overall compliance with permit limits:
- Camps Bay: 91,9% (City samples), 98,5% (Auditor samples)
- Green Point: 88,1% (City samples), 100% (Auditor samples)
- Hout Bay: 96,8% (City samples), 100% (Auditor samples)
Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for water and sanitation, said the results confirmed that the outfalls were operating as required.
“We recognise the importance of maintaining public confidence through transparent reporting and continuous improvement. The latest results confirm that the marine outfalls are operating as required, while monitoring continues to be strengthened and infrastructure upgrades are under way,” Badroodien said.
Work to upgrade and strengthen marine outfall infrastructure is progressing across both the medium and long term.
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