Water sports enthusiasts and visitors to Rietvlei can once again enjoy the full waterbody after the City of Cape Town announced that the previously closed section of the vlei has officially reopened following improved water quality results.

The City confirmed last week that the portion of the Rietvlei waterbody within the Table Bay Nature Reserve, which had been temporarily closed due to elevated E.coli levels, is now open to the public for intermediate contact recreational activities with immediate effect.

The reopening follows weeks of monitoring and testing after high bacteria counts prompted authorities to partially close the affected area near the Bayside Canal inlet as a precautionary measure.

Water quality improves

In a protected areas notice issued by the City, management of the Table Bay Nature Reserve said recent water quality tests showed sufficient improvement throughout the waterbody.

“Recent water quality tests show sufficient improvement to allow for intermediate recreational contact within the entire waterbody,” the City stated.

According to the notice, the reopening is in line with regulations governing the management of nature reserves as well as the City of Cape Town nature reserve by-law.

The City said the previous closure had been implemented to safeguard public health after water quality monitoring detected E.coli levels exceeding the threshold for intermediate recreational contact.

“The purpose of the closure that was in place was to safeguard the health of members of the public from compromised water quality detected within the Rietvlei waterbody due to Escherichia coli (E.coli) levels in the system exceeding the threshold for intermediate recreation,” the City explained.

Closure followed elevated E.coli readings

As previously reported by TygerBurger, the City temporarily closed the affected portion of Rietvlei after consecutive E.coli readings near the Bayside Canal exceeded the acceptable limit of 4 000 CFU/100ml for intermediate contact activities.

At the time, Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews said continuous water quality monitoring had identified concerning bacterial levels.

“Unfortunately, consecutive E.coli readings taken near the Bayside Canal have exceeded the threshold of 4 000 CFU/100ml for intermediate contact, prompting us to take immediate action to protect public health,” Andrews said.

The closure affected recreational activities such as boating, rowing, kayaking and windsurfing in the impacted section of the waterbody, while the remainder of the Table Bay Nature Reserve remained open.

Ongoing monitoring continues

The City noted that investigations into pollution sources and water quality challenges remain ongoing.

Rietvlei has faced recurring water quality concerns over the years, including pollution incidents linked to sewage ingress into stormwater systems, infrastructure failures and other environmental pressures.

The Milnerton Aquatic Club and environmental groups have previously raised concerns about nutrient build-up and repeated pollution events affecting the ecological health of the vlei.

Despite the reopening, the City says monitoring will continue to ensure water quality remains within acceptable standards and to protect both recreational users and the sensitive ecosystem.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your cooperation and understanding,” the City said.

For now, the reopening comes as welcome news for recreational users who have been waiting for water quality conditions to improve and for full access to one of the area’s most popular water sport destinations to be restored.

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