A solution to Boksburg Lake stink is finally in sight

The nasty stink emanating from the Boksburg Lake may soon become a thing of the past, as work is well underway to breathe life into the public amenity and tackle the decades long pollution.

The City will also launch an operation that will see teams cracking down on upstream heavy industries, SMEs and individuals, which are poisoning the lake water with contaminates.

Once a hot tourist destination, the lake had become an environmental and public health crisis in Boksburg, according to concerned experts and local organisations.
Residents have for years been calling on the metro to speed up delayed plans to rescue the mostly deserted and badly polluted facility, which had for decades destroyed its critical ecosystem.
This includes hundreds of fish and bird species while exposing communities downtown to toxic fumes.

The long-awaited water quality improvement projects in the lake kicked off in October last year and the projected completion is at least mid-year 2023. The estimated cost of the project is R34-million.

According to the project manager, Motlanalo Mautla, from the Environmental Resource and Waste Management Department’s environmental protection, resilience and project management division, the contractor Mocheku Landscapers is busy with phase one and CivEc Civil Engineering Consultant was appointed to do the second phase of the project.

Following all the investigations and consultation processes, including environmental impact assessment (EIA), environmental authorisation and public participation, the City opted for the natural remedial method to restore the water quality of the lake.
According to Mautla, the plan of action is expected to deliver the desired results after a couple of months from the completion of the construction project.

The project comprises the construction of a weir system across the lake, base gabions, dam aerators, creation of artificial floating wetlands, a pedestrian bridge above the berm, planting of more indigenous trees, litter traps, as well as an additional pedestrian bridge to discourage people from using the weir as a thoroughfare.

A section of the lake will be used as the holding area, which will fence in the water from the inlets and then regulate its flow into the main body of the lake.
This upstream holding section of the lake will contain the pollutants-laden inflow from the main stormwater pipes to combat the spread of pollution into the main body of the lake.

Contaminates, litter, silt, debris, trees and general waste from the inlet or dirty holding will be trapped and captured at the weir that will serve as a filter to limit them from entering the main body of the dam.
Filtered water will then seep through the weir, which is built of stones into the main body.

Three electricity-powered aerators will be installed to take oxygen from the atmosphere and insert it into the water to promote the natural process to oxygenate the water. The aeration system will run for six to eight months before it’s removed and allow the natural process to continue purifying the water.
During the assessment, invasive alien plant species were also identified, and as part of the project, such plants will be removed completely and other trees will be trimmed.

Base gabions will also be built around the lake along the shoreline to improve the stability of the lake bank and prevent silt from going into the lake, which in turn reduces the body of the lake.
Litter traps will be installed around the water body to keep contamination and litter, including plastic bags, bottles, sanitary towels, diapers and debris out of the lake water. These captured items will then be physically removed by the maintenance teams.

The planted indigenous trees will form part of the bio-nutrient system to absorb the nutrients. The floating wetlands will also assist in naturally taking up nutrients from the lake with the aim of controlling odours and preventing the growth and infestation of invasive alien plants.
Due to the current level of pollution, this process will be assisted by the aerators.

When asked what will happen to the already contaminated water in the main body, Mautla explained that the dirty water will gradually flow out of the lake body as the lake works like a waterway that consists of inlets and outlets leading to the nearby catchments, spruit and rivers.
She pointed out that it is for that reason that the lower part of the dam is less polluted compared to the upper sections.

Crackdown on polluters
The metro said upstream industries, stormwater, surface runoffs and occasional sewer system leakages are the main culprits, contributing to the lake’s deterioration.

To tackle the poisoning of natural resources such as the Boksburg Lake, the City is working on a new programme designed to intensify the enforcement of compliance with the City’s environmental legislation.

According to the City’s Department of Environment Resources and Waste Management Services’ Thabang Mokoena, who serves as the environmental management compliance divisional head and Grade One environmental management inspector of the City, the programme will see inspectors and police carrying out blitzes on upstream industries and individuals identified as potential suspects who are discharging their pollutants illegally.

Mokoena pointed out that offenders found to be sluicing out chemical waste or other pollutants into the stormwater drainage system and water bodies will face hefty fines and warnings, and in some cases face prosecution.
A team of inspectors at the Boksburg municipal offices are ready to attend to complaints and proactively do unannounced compliance checks.

Poor maintenance
Ward 32 councillor Marius de Vos said the upgrade and restoration of the Boksburg Lake, which started a couple of years ago, is commendable.

However, a concern to him is that no value can be derived from the millions of rands spent to date, given the neglected state of the environment around the lake.

“The municipality in my view is good at spending taxpayers’ money on these projects but weak on maintaining the developments. The multiparty coalition will have to budget adequately to maintain the Boksburg Lake going forward,” said de Vos.
However, the City hopes to safeguard the environment against unscrupulous individuals and businesses.

Multi-million rand projects
While the response to the deterioration of the lake has seen decades’ long delays despite public outcry and the private sector’s water infrastructure and response proposal, the City has in recent years demonstrated a solid commitment to delivering projects to give the facility a facelift.

The multiphase projects, which started about eight years ago, have seen the metro pumping over R20-million into work aimed at bringing the facility back to its former glory.
These started with the renovation of the boathouse at costs of over R4-m and were followed by the construction of a R2,1-m amphitheatre, about R15-m multiphase project to install high-mast lighting, landscaping of the park, outdoor gym equipment, braai facilities, installation of park furniture and landscaping.

Historical landmark
The Boksburg Lake dates back to the 1880s when it was the social heart of the then prosperous mining town, according to South African History Online SAHO.

The state of the lake has been deteriorating for decades, but the problem has grown severe in the recent past few years before the facelift was recently initiated.
It had been abandoned and left to decay, vandalised and disused, frequented predominantly by homeless people and used as a criminals den.

Both historians and concerned senior citizens who bemoaned the lack of maintenance said tourism and wildlife flourished at the facility decades ago.
They pointed out that the property used to be a perfect spot for boating, fishing, water sports, family fun days, and venues for social activities and events which once hosted prominent figures along the shoreline while serving as critical habitat for fish and bird species.

The landlocked lake also borders popular venues including hotels, pubs, amusement parks, and leisure activities.
However, many of these facilities closed down citing the toxic fumes, as well as the criminal activities associated with the public facility.

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