The City of Cape Town has reached a significant milestone in its long-term restoration of Zeekoevlei, with dredging work in the Storm Bay section now complete after 10 months of operations.

The project, which began on 30 June 2025, marked the first dredging of the vlei in 42 years.

A floating suction dredger and a team of 15 personnel started work at Storm Bay in the False Bay Nature Reserve to remove sediment that has accumulated over decades.

Storm Bay

Since operations began, approximately 207 000 cubic metres of sediment have been dredged from Storm Bay.

Earlier this month, the dredger was relocated to Home Bay, where a further 157 000 cubic metres of sediment will be removed as part of the next phase of the project.

According to the City, the overall dredging operation is expected to be completed in early 2027 if all goes according to plan.

The City’s Deputy Mayor and mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, said the project forms part of the City’s commitment to restoring and protecting local vleis.

“The dredging of Zeekoevlei is a key investment and delivers on our commitment to restore, improve and protect our vleis,” Andrews said.

“With the dredging, we are removing the sediment that has accumulated over time, and reducing nutrient build-up that contributes to poor water quality.”

Home Bay

The move from Storm Bay to Home Bay required extensive preparation.

Because Home Bay is further away from the dewatering site, contractors installed an additional 2 000 metres of pipeline and a booster pump to maintain operations.

The floating dredger, secured by 16 concrete mooring blocks weighing 2,5 tons each, was disconnected from the Storm Bay pipeline and towed to Home Bay using a support vessel.

The relocation and preparation process took approximately three weeks.

The dredged sediment is pumped through a 6,3 km slurry pipeline to dewatering ponds where the material is dried and stored.

Restoration progress

The pipeline crosses several roads in the area, including Governors Walk and Peninsula Road.

Water separated from the sediment is then transferred via a 2,3 km pipeline to the Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Works.

Hydrographic surveys are conducted every two weeks to monitor progress.

Working hours for the project are Mondays to Saturdays from 07:00 to 18:00, with no work taking place on Sundays or public holidays.

The City thanked residents of Zeekoevlei for their patience and ongoing support during the large-scale environmental restoration project.

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