KNYSNA NEWS - Last week, it was noted with horror that sewage was apparently seeping through the concrete walkway surrounding the Heads' designated swimming area and flowing through the sandy beach into the estuary.
Although the flow seemed clear in colour, there was no mistaking the smell of raw sewage.
James McCarthy, Eden District Municipality's assistant manager of Municipal Health Services confirmed that, after he had inspected the area, it was found that sewerage from a pump station was indeed disposing sewerage into the sea at the swimming area at the Heads. He reported the matter to the Knysna Engineering Department on Thursday, September 20 when he received a complaint from a property owner adjacent to the area.
Knysna municipal manager, Lauren Waring said that the sewage leak was caused when a surge in electricity supply caused sewage pumps to trip. "When the problem was brought under the Knysna Municipality's attention, it was immediately investigated and the problem resolved. The pumps were switched on again and the situation returned to normal."
Waring explained that electricity surges occur from time to time and said that the municipality had no control over these surges, which can affect the pumps that operate on three-phase electricity.
Following last week's leak, a Knysna Head's resident reported that a main sewage pipe in Coney Glen Road had burst on Sunday morning (September 23), "spewing a thick stream of sewage into the road".
The resident added that this had happened at least three times in the past two years. He explained that when the previous sewage spill occurred, it seemed that the sewage pipe had backed up and finally blew the lid off the sump in the garden of a close neighbour. "When it blew the lid off, it blew sewage all over her garden. That time it took three days for the municipality to fix," said the disgusted resident.
According to him, Sunday's sewage leak ran directly into the stormwater drains, "which must have emptied this disgusting sewage into the lagoon". Waring confirmed that a blockage of the sewer main, caused by the roots of a tree in a resident's property, had resulted into the raw sewage spill at the Heads.
"The blockage was cleared and the main temporarily repaired on Sunday." She added that the tree roots have damaged the sewer main to such an extent that it now requires "permanent repairs". Waring further explained, "The repair is being complicated by its situation directly under a stormwater main and will necessitate the removal of the tree as well as diversion of the stormwater main to enable permanent repair."
In conclusion, she reassured residents that the municipality has initiated the procurement process for the permanent repairs.
In Febuary 2010 Knysna's municipal manager at the time, Johnny Douglas said that the sewage pump system at the Knysna Heads was 50 years old.
- KNYSNA/PLETT HERALD
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