CAPE TOWN - The Blue Flag at the Onrus Beach has been raised again and the 'no swimming' advisory for the Onrus Lagoon lifted after samples showed the water was in acceptable range.
This followed after an incident at the Onrus main sewerage pump station on January 3, that led to a spillage at the pump station and into the Onrus Estuary.
While the problem was attended to, samples were taken at the estuary to monitor the impact of the spill on the water quality.
“According to the Overberg District Municipality's Health Department, which is responsible for recreational water quality of estuaries, the warning signs can be removed as they are satisfied that the water is within the acceptable range for public recreational use,” the Overstrand Municipality said.
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), responsible for co-ordinating the Blue Flag programme nationally, said the municipality had informed them about the spill.
Wessa national coastal co-ordinator Tevya Lotriet said: “A water quality sample was taken on the same day. The municipality received the sample results on January 7 and provided the results to Wessa. There were no issues with the water quality – we instructed the municipality to raise the flag again on January 7.”
The Onrus River Estuary Forum’s advisory and co-ordinating body said estuary water was not flowing into the sea at the moment.
“Wessa is aware of the location of the estuary and its proximity to the ocean and has awarded the Blue Flag status accordingly.
“The municipality runs the Kleinmond Beach on the same principal.
“The water in both estuaries is monitored regularly. An operational protocol for managing the estuary is in place as agreed between the Overstrand Municipality and the Overberg District Municipality, with inputs from Onrus River Estuary Forum.
“The Onrus Municipality has done numerous improvements to the Onrus main sewerage pump station to minimise the risk of a spill and have an early warning system and maintenance team on standby in case of a failure.”
Cape Times