Toti residents have complained of discoloured water coming out of their taps.
The Sun alerted ward 97 councillor, Andre Beetge of the complaints last week, which he promised to follow up on.
“On Tuesday morning, 22 March, we were alerted to water discolouration in the St Winfreds area that feeds off the Illovo pump station,” said Cllr Beetge.
“Following a residential appeal, we were able to confirm similar patterns in the low-lying areas that are supplied off the Almond Road and Lewis Drive gravity feed reservoirs and the KwaMakhutha pumpstation, all of which receive bulk supply from Umgeni Water’s Amanzimtoti treatment works (ATW).”
The eThekwini water department was tasked to inspect reservoirs and to flush contaminated water via fire hydrants, while various analysis samples were also drawn at the outlets, reservoirs and ATW.
Laboratory reports from the ATW indicated significant amounts of taste and odour-causing compounds in the raw water. The same sample indicated cloudiness in reservoir two, higher than ideal, but below the aesthetic limit.
“This was attributed to the raw water quality owing to low water levels, closely followed by high ‘run-offs’ into the Nungwane Dam that feeds into ATW,” said Cllr Beetge.
“As the plant stopped pre-chlorinating to address the odour issues associated with algae at low level, immediate intervention was required to address the high soluble manganese in the Nungwane raw, thus it reverted back to pre-chlorination while altering processes to further accommodate and stabilise.”
Reservoir two was emptied on Wednesday afternoon, 23 March and washed and disinfected the following morning, before being put back on line later the same day.
eThekwini water department was tasked to continue flushing and sampling at the lower points for the duration of Friday and Saturday to remove any discolouration that, although deemed safe for consumption, still left the system contaminated and a cause of concern to residents.
“While the discolouration essentially resulted from a chemical reaction, it is yet another reminder of the problems associated with the drought that the country is currently experiencing,” said Cllr Beetge.
“Irrespective of the request for 15% saving and with dam levels being the lowest since 1999, the demand on the ATW remains above 65 million litres per day (Ml/p).
This further increases during holiday season, yet with a capacity of only 24 Ml/p, it necessitates supplementing from the Wiggins line.
Sections of the system might also be suffering sand contamination. This could be due to the continued practise by individuals who shut down distribution lines during service delivery protests that in turn causes airlocks and bursts on already strained and aging infrastructure.
Residents are requested to report their concerns or enquire with the correct authorities on 080-131-3013 to alleviate unnecessary delays in securing the desired outcome,” said Cllr Beetge.
