AN OBSCURED sewage out let pipe leading from the Ihlanza pump station directly into the Ihlanza “Turdy” river mouth might be responsible for the closure of Nahoon Beach.
Yesterday, Save Nahoon spokes man Kevin Harris and the Daily Dispatch found a pipe directly above the Ihlanza pump station, which is set back under silver oak branches. It showed signs of a re cent flush that created a 60cm gutter running into the river.
A major sewer line was also tracked about two kilometres upriver of the Ihlanza and signs of a major spill at the 16th inspection hole were found.
This came as BCM communications manager Keith Ngesi re leased results of mandatory disaster water testing, which showed that on Friday the faecal coliform count at Nahoon Beach was 11000CFU, but had dropped to between 11000 and 4600 on Saturday.
The faecal count in the Ihlanza river was 11000 on both days.
Surprisingly, the Nahoon river a few hundred metres away also had a faecal count of 11 000 on Friday, dropping to 4600 on Saturday.
However, Ngesi said: “The acceptable limits are faecal coliforms of 2000CFU/100ml.”
The Blue Flag programme recommends that municipalities prohibit swimming events if the count is above 1500CFU/100ml.
Yesterday, Nahoon beach was deserted, but for five German wives of engineers working in the automotive sector, who said they were there to walk their dogs.
Ngesi said the beach will only open two days after faecal counts drop to below 2000CFU.
After tracking a major sewer line about 2km upriver of the Ihlanza yesterday, Harris and the Dispatch saw how a thick trail of sewage had spilled down a 15m- high bank and into the river.
However, the 700mm-wide sewer line looked new, was in good condition and showed signs of recent maintenance.
All the inspection holes had new lids made from a heavy, non-metal material.
There were neat berms and sandbags protecting the line from natural storm gutters, but there was little sign of a clean-up of the 10m-stretch of thick, sludgy spill.
At another inspection hole, sludge contained women’s underwear and condom packets, and next to another hole was a tyre.
And there were signs that a broken section of pipe was tossed into the bush below the line, and a few cement bags littered the work area.
Harris and the Dispatch clam bered down to the river 30m up river of the spill, but still saw clumps of sewage. Riverbed rocks were covered in a blue-grey “fur” that stank.
“There is no way that eight days after the flush that it should smell like this,” said Harris.
At the river mouth, extra high tides have pushed into the Ihlanza river and the water colour has changed from a smelly brown to a clear, salty marine green.
A pipe above the Ihlanza pump station showed signs of a recent flush which created a 60cm gutter running into the river.
The branches and ground were matted with sewage-related waste, such as sanitation pads and toilet paper.
Good news for residents in Stir ling is that the river flowing under the Galway Road bridge did not smell of sewage and riverbed rocks were free of faecal fur, although it was littered with plastic. —
Nahoon beach hit by river of sewage
Yesterday, Save Nahoon spokes man Kevin Harris and the Daily Dispatch found a pipe directly above the Ihlanza pump station, which is set back under silver oak branches. It showed signs of a re cent flush that created a 60cm gutter running into the river.
A major sewer line was also tracked about two kilometres upriver of the Ihlanza and signs of a major spill at the 16th inspection hole were found.
This came as BCM communications manager Keith Ngesi re leased results of mandatory disaster water testing, which showed that on Friday the faecal coliform count at Nahoon Beach was 11000CFU, but had dropped to between 11000 and 4600 on Saturday.
The faecal count in the Ihlanza river was 11000 on both days.
Surprisingly, the Nahoon river a few hundred metres away also had a faecal count of 11 000 on Friday, dropping to 4600 on Saturday.
However, Ngesi said: “The acceptable limits are faecal coliforms of 2000CFU/100ml.”
The Blue Flag programme recommends that municipalities prohibit swimming events if the count is above 1500CFU/100ml.
Yesterday, Nahoon beach was deserted, but for five German wives of engineers working in the automotive sector, who said they were there to walk their dogs.
Ngesi said the beach will only open two days after faecal counts drop to below 2000CFU.
After tracking a major sewer line about 2km upriver of the Ihlanza yesterday, Harris and the Dispatch saw how a thick trail of sewage had spilled down a 15m- high bank and into the river.
However, the 700mm-wide sewer line looked new, was in good condition and showed signs of recent maintenance.
All the inspection holes had new lids made from a heavy, non-metal material.
There were neat berms and sandbags protecting the line from natural storm gutters, but there was little sign of a clean-up of the 10m-stretch of thick, sludgy spill.
At another inspection hole, sludge contained women’s underwear and condom packets, and next to another hole was a tyre.
And there were signs that a broken section of pipe was tossed into the bush below the line, and a few cement bags littered the work area.
Harris and the Dispatch clam bered down to the river 30m up river of the spill, but still saw clumps of sewage. Riverbed rocks were covered in a blue-grey “fur” that stank.
“There is no way that eight days after the flush that it should smell like this,” said Harris.
At the river mouth, extra high tides have pushed into the Ihlanza river and the water colour has changed from a smelly brown to a clear, salty marine green.
A pipe above the Ihlanza pump station showed signs of a recent flush which created a 60cm gutter running into the river.
The branches and ground were matted with sewage-related waste, such as sanitation pads and toilet paper.
Good news for residents in Stir ling is that the river flowing under the Galway Road bridge did not smell of sewage and riverbed rocks were free of faecal fur, although it was littered with plastic. —
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