The metro has noted the recent media reports of two families who allegedly found worms in their potable water.
The first incident was a complaint by Ina Cloete of Birchleigh.
Her complaint was investigated and her neighbours interviewed.
Samples from her tap water and from that of neighbours were taken.
The laboratory results showed no signs of foreign elements or traces of anything that can result in a formation of a worm.
The only possible cause was found to be faulty plumbing in her house.
Christo Green of Kempton Park also complained of the same occurrence of a worm coming from his tap water in July.
“The worms found by Cloete and Green were a terrestrial species and were alive when found.
“This type of worm species cannot survive in water due to the water reticulation system’s inherent high pressure and the worm species’ inability to breath in water,” said Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro.
“And, in addition, the metro gets water from Rand Water where it goes through a chemical-intensive purification process that cannot be survived by any type of living species.
“Furthermore, the metro’s vast water reticulation infrastructure comprises of intermediate high-pressure pumps, valves and meters that no living creature such as a worm can pass through intact and get to the end-users’ taps.”
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How can a worm find itself inside a water tap?
• Insects, such as moths, flies and other dipteran species like to lay their eggs in moist areas. Often these places are the mouths of water taps, bath or basin overflows, or drains. Once the larvae (first stage of the insect life-cycle) hatches from the eggs, they can then drop into or be washed into a basin from a tap.
• Terrestrial worms – those with feet and feelers, like millipedes, can crawl into a tap and be washed out once the tap is opened and it can then be perceived that it came from the potable water supply system. They can also fall into a bath full of water, from crawling on the side or wall and be perceived as being in the water.
• Worms, for example, earthworms can crawl into leaking water pipes in the ground when the water network is off. Once a tap is opened the water pressure washes them out of the tap.
• Worms, for example, earthworms can crawl through the wastewater drain system into the overflows of the basin or bath, and it can then be perceived that it came from the potable water supply system.
• It should be noted that, if a worm is found alive it could not have come through the municipal system, because the worm would not have been able to breathe and it would also have been exposed to the pressure in the pipes.
The metro’s water is regularly tested for quality, and the results are published on its website on a monthly basis.
The latest results conducted in June 2018 showed excellent compliance levels in all areas, recording 100 per cent compliance levels in the areas listed below, and 99 per cent in operational compliance (ORC):
• Acute health microbiological compliance (AHMC).
• Acute health chemical compliance (AHCC).
• Chronic health chemical compliance (CHCC).
• Aesthetic compliance (AC).
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