Close

Not a member yet? Register now and get started.

lock and key

Sign in to your account.

Account Login

Forgot your password?

Zeekoevlei Dramatic Feedback! et Al ….

13 Jul Posted by in Environment | Comments

Sewerage Spill Number 1

On the 4 July 2021 – FBNR issues notification to PAAC members of a spill into Zeekoevlei.

Road about 800 metres before the FBNR offices

FoZR was advised of location by a member of the Public at 22h00 that evening and to our disgust, we found out that factually, the spill started on the 1st July already! Then on the 5-6 July 2021 – FoZR visits the site regularly and notes with disappointment that CoCT Line Departments have not been on site to stop the flow of sewage.

A massive thanks to False Bay Nature Reserve (FBNR) Management and Staff for their ingenuity and team work to stop the flow of sewage into Zeekoevlei. With their very limited equipment for dealing with such disasters they did a magnificent job to limit the destruction that has been caused due to this spill.

By this time we had notified all relevant people responsible for the systems.

7 July 2021 – Flow is reduced and FBNR Management and Staff effect a temporary repair by re-constructing the damaged manhole using bricks and sandbags. •The sewage is pumped into the adjacent line and a plug is installed by placing sandbags on top of the repair. The flow is stopped.

8 July 2021 – City Officials from all relevant Departments meet on site with FoZR to discuss the disaster with Mr Russel Mehl, Assistant Manager of Pollution Policy & Regulatory Services.

The main cause was that the Screw Pumps at the Sewage Works are inoperable (not at full capacity) and could not keep up with the inflow. The system was full of Ground and Rain Water and we are sure foreign objects as well. The Cut-Off Line at the Springfield Bypass was open allowing the Lotus River to also pour into the vlei system.

Mike Killick – Director Bulk Services – Water and Sanitation, is personally involved and was on site a couple of times and also attended an emergency PAAC meeting that was convened by the chair-person- (Prof Jenny Day) on Monday the 12th July.
Various commitments were made and by today another additional pump should be fully operational ……. BUT…

BUT…

Last night various manhole covers started popping in the reserve area and released huge amounts of sewerage water into the environment again, as the last operating Screw Pump gave in! CoCT staff were on site (FBNR in the frontline of course!) to minimise the flow of sewerage into the vlei but this morning we could see that the flow was way to much and just went over the temporary barriers erected.

AND into our vlei!

The COCT is on site to try and install the new Screw Pumps urgently and divert the sewerage flow away from the vlei……..

Our advice is clear – Stay out of the water till further notice!

.

Sewerage Spill Number 2

This was discovered as we checked areas in the storms and reported immediately to all the relevant authorities and support people with GPS co-ordinates to make it simpler to find.

Sewerage water spewed out of the piped area and the area was already saturated with the foul liquid!

Not in YELLOW STONE PARK!

Upon investigation it was found that the huge valve was stolen / vandalised by the illegal occupants living in that area….. and when the COCT staff went there to replace it over the weekend, they were ROBBED of all cellphones by armed scoundrels! I am trying … trying to remain calm while reporting this …. Our huge appreciation and respect goes out to the CoCT staff who have to operate under these terrible conditions and then still gets hammered by the public.

720 Nitrogen Element Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

Research into the Nitrogen Budget

As Friends of the Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei, we would appreciate it if you could contribute to research into the nitrogen budget of the Zeekoevlei watershed at large. The survey aims to map the various nitrogen inputs into the urban watershed landscape from residential areas. Of course, when compared to present day disasters residential inputs are considered to be minor. However such research is important to better understand a larger perspective of nitrogen flows in the watershed.

It takes 5-8 mins and your contribution will be much appreciated! Thanks ALL!

Feel free to contact ffion.atkins@uct.ac.za if you have any questions.

Link to the survey : https://limesurvey.uct.ac.za/index.php/613665?newtest=Y…

FOZR Membership (New and Renewals)

Friends of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei (FoZR) Memberships can now be renewed / Applied for the Feb 2021 – Feb 2022 Financial Year !

Membership fees are unchanged at:

R50 for Individual R75 for Family
R500 for Corporate Membership
*New – R1000 Platinum Corporate Membership.

Why become a Member ?

100% of Membership Fees go towards the maintenance and improvement of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei. FoZR needs your help for us to continue our work !

Did you know ?

FoZR has carried out :

Reed Removal during this Draw Down period at Residents waterfronts to the tune of R58 400 spent on Labour. We have received top reviews for the rate and quality of our Teams work. … FBNR are collecting the reeds and will be there as soon as possible.

Furthermore, we have spent over R26 000 on work carried out in Public Open Spaces, removing Reeds, Alien Vegetation and Litter from these public areas. This has been made possible by amazing funding from our partners like :

Table Mountain Fund (TMF)

.

.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-3.png

Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA)

and the SRA in Zeekoevlei together with donations from ordinary residents of the area –

May be an image of body of water

Litter removal from the mouths of our two rivers and Vlei banks resulted in 11 truckloads being taken to landfill sites so far

The Biggest Challenges facing Zeekoevlei & Rondevlei are currently :

1.Land Invasions

2.Ingress of Hyacinth into Zeekoevlei & even more so in Rondevlei

3.Repair and Maintenance of the Litter Fences at both the Big & Little Lotus Rivers – In hand with the CoCT

4. Dredging of Zeekoevlei to remove sediment

5. Reed encroachment.

6. Sewage Spills

Did you know ? It is estimated that reed encroachment will reach critical levels within the next 8 years unless this issue is dealt with.on a sustainable basis.

Existing Projects & Initiatives :

Our Partnership with the Litter Boom Project (LBP) and Pristine Earth Collective (PEC) is working well – on average 300 plus bags of litter are removed from the Rivers on a monthly basis. Thank you to LBP and PEC for their continued support

Upcoming Projects

FoZR has engaged with our partners FBNR to manage facilities within Rondevlei Section of FBNR to enhance the experience of visitors to the area and to give us the opportunity to generate funds in order for us to reach our objectives.

FoZR is actively involved with other partners to ensure that our environment is as protected as possible – most notably the PAAC, SRA, Zeekoevlei Security Initiative.

We value the support of the Community – without your help we could not achieve our objectives. Thank you !

The simple process to join up or renew your membership, simply pay it into our account which is as follows:

The Friends of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei

Nedbank Claremont Branch Code 104609

SAVINGS ACCOUNT 2046663500

Ref – Name Surname, Address

Paid up members are encouraged to attend and vote at our upcoming AGM – date to be advised asap

recycling is great for otters

Leave a Reply