Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cape Town – Zeekoevlei waterbody, located in the False Bay Nature Reserve, has been reopened to the public after eight months after tests revealed the water’s bacteria levels are “generally within the guidelines”.
As a precautionary measure, the waterbody was closed for recreational contact due to concerns over the water quality, Cape Town’s local government said on Friday.
Months of testing tracked pollution levels of the water.
“During this time, the test results showed persistent high levels of faecal coliforms (Escherichia coli) within the waterbody, which indicated an elevated risk to human health,’’ the City said
However, the last two tests revealed that bacteria levels are acceptable for human contact, allowing the vlei to be reopened to the public.
“The City can confirm that the last two sets of samples show that the E. coli count is generally within the guidelines for intermediate recreational contact at various points within the Zeekoevlei.”
Cape Town’s Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the City’s scientific services branch – who conducted the water quality tests – are accredited at a standard global benchmark to ensure accurate results.
Badroodien added that the City’s results of E. coli levels at Zeekoevlei concurs with the results of external accredited laboratories.
“In order to promote transparency on water quality results, and build an important trust relationship with all stakeholders, we will be communicating this on digital platforms in the near future,” Badroodien said.
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