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Urgent call for action: Cape Town’s marine outfalls persistently fail to meet regulatory standards

Urgent call for action: Cape Town’s marine outfalls persistently fail to meet regulatory standards
In Camps Bay, where one of the City of Cape Town's three marine outfalls is located. (Photo: Jean Tresfon)
Kristin Engel
By Kristin Engel
13 Mar 2025
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Coastal sewage discharge continues to raise alarm with non-compliance found in recent monitoring at marine outfalls in Cape Town. The City maintains that despite the non-compliance, outfalls continue to operate ‘largely within their regulatory parameters’.

The City of Cape Town is under increasing pressure to address long-standing concerns over its marine outfalls in Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay, which pump millions of litres of sewage into the ocean daily. 

Recent reports show that Cape Town’s marine outfalls have repeatedly failed to meet regulatory standards, with recent reports revealing multiple non-compliance issues, including excessive heavy metals and suspended solids. 

Despite the City’s assurances, violations persist at Camps Bay, Green Point, and Hout Bay, raising concerns over long-term environmental and health risks

Cape Town’s marine outfalls have come under renewed scrutiny following its last Public Advisory Forum meeting in February, where residents, environmental groups and local authorities gathered to examine the City’s wastewater treatment processes and the impact of its marine outfalls on marine ecosystems and human health.

Representatives from various interest groups, including Bays of Sewage and Rethink the Stink, participate in the Permit Advisory Forum. (Photo: City of Cape Town)



Caroline Marx (Section 80 Advisory Committee Member and representative of Rethink the Stink) discusses the findings of the environmental monitoring programme with the City. (Photo: City of Cape Town)



The meeting, attended by City officials from various departments, independent experts, and concerned community members, highlighted a series of ongoing non-compliance in wastewater discharge at three marine outfalls: Camps Bay, Greenpoint and Hout Bay.

Sven Sötemann, the head of the City’s Wastewater Development and Infrastructure, Bulk Services, provided an update on the Marine Outfalls Public Advisory Forum Permit Requirements Reporting.

This is related to the effluent quality, the effluent quantity, the environmental monitoring, monitoring points, sample analyses, the pipeline integrity, the malfunctions, the permit conditions, monitoring and reporting requirements, and general effluent issues of the outfalls.

Non-compliance issues


According to Sötemann’s report, several non-compliance issues were recorded across the three outfalls over the past quarter, particularly concerning suspended solids and heavy metal levels.

The Camps Bay outfall exceeded the limits for total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand, with recorded levels above regulatory thresholds.

Additionally, arsenic and zinc concentrations were found to be above permissible levels in multiple outfalls.

In Greenpoint, violations were recorded primarily for arsenic and zinc, while Hout Bay showed exceedances in nitrogen and suspended solids. External auditors also confirmed similar findings.

During the meeting, City officials argued that some of the permit limits for heavy metals, such as zinc, were unrealistic as they were set lower than the levels found in the City’s potable water.

The City has appealed these limits with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, but residents and environmental activists remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the current wastewater treatment practices.

Sötemann said that total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and Arsenic were indicated as non-compliant for Camps Bay by both the City (three) and auditor (seven) analysis, however, only the City analysis indicated non-conformances (two) in terms of Zinc.

Arsenic was indicated as non-compliant for Green Point by both the City (one) and auditor (three) analysis, and a non-conformance regarding zinc was indicated by only the City (one) analysis.

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen non-conformances were indicated for Hout Bay by both the City (one) and auditor (two) analysis, while a total suspended solids non-conformance (one) was indicated by the City analysis only, and a mercury non-conformance (one) was indicated by the external auditor only.

The noncompliance incidents in summary over the past quarter:

  • Five non-compliances for the quarter: total suspended solids (4 December), chemical oxygen demand (4 December), arsenic (December) and zinc (November and December)

  • Two non-compliances for the quarter: arsenic (December) and zinc (November)

  • Seven non-compliances for composite samples: arsenic (weeks 43, 47 and 52), total suspended solids (weeks 44, 45, and 52) and chemical oxygen demand (week 52)

  • Three non-compliances for composite samples: arsenic (weeks 43, 47 and 52)

  • Three non-compliances for composite samples: Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (Weeks 41 and 45),

  • Mercury (Week 51)




In a statement, the City said that its three marine outfalls remained largely within compliance parameters, and continued to operate largely within their infrastructural design and regulatory oversight parameters.

Alex Lansdowne, Deputy Chairperson, Mayoral Advisory Committee on Water Quality in Wetlands, Waterways and the Coastal Environment in the City, told Daily Maverick that under the new testing regime, the City was willingly testing new metrics for potential impact. 

This included total suspended solids, pharmaceuticals, microplastics and other exotoxins. He said the benefit of sampling many different indicators at a regular period allowed them to uncover long-term, short-term or seasonal impacts. 

“When there is non-compliance, it is reported to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. 

“Our commitment is to use technology and infrastructure to lessen impacts. It’s why we are this fiscal year, funding the marine outfalls small works to reduce the risk of non-compliance and breakdowns and make the environment cleaner,” said Lansdowne.

Reporting and monitoring insights at the outfalls


In the City’s statement, Zahid Badroodien, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, said the City continued to invest in refurbishment programmes at these outfalls while exploring suitable long-term solutions for improved wastewater management.

He added that despite the temporary suspension of flow limits by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, the latest report “reaffirms the City’s commitment to responsible environmental management and infrastructure maintenance”.

Pipeline integrity inspections were conducted at Camps Bay and Green Point in 2024, which Badroodien said confirmed that both outfalls remained in good condition, with the Hout Bay outfall inspection scheduled to follow.

Hout Bay, where one of the City of Cape Town's three marine outfalls is located. (Photo: Jean Tresfon)



According to the City, the structure of the Camps Bay Sewer outfall remained sound, “with observed deterioration in line with the intended design”. 

The pipeline at the Green Point outfall was also reportedly in good overall condition, with no blockages or immediate concerns. 

“Two diffusers show reduced flow and may require high-pressure cleaning. Unfortunately, a load-shedding related incident disrupted operations of the pump station briefly this past weekend. When the generator failed to switch on, electricians were dispatched immediately to restore its functionality,” Badroodien said.

To prevent future occurrences, a simulation test was conducted on the generator, rendering it fully functional and ready for the next round of load shedding.

In releasing the City’s quarterly environmental monitoring results (November 2024-January 2025), 1,737 samples were collected across all three outfalls. 

“This is the most extensive water quality monitoring programme in the country and, to our knowledge, the African continent,” said Lansdowne.

  • Five of the 477 water samples exceeded recreational guidelines for faecal enterococci.

  • Two exceedances at the Green Point mixing zone (mid-depth) and one in the Table Bay screen.

  • Two exceedances in Hout Bay (one at mid-depth, one at the bottom of the mid-bay screen).


And for ecological toxicity testing on seawater samples from the edge of the mixing zone, no toxicity was found in any of the 84 samples analysed over the past seven months.

Sötemann outlined the City’s short-term and long-term improvement plans, including infrastructure refurbishments and ongoing monitoring efforts.

In the short term, maintenance and repairs were being carried out to ensure wastewater systems operated more efficiently. The long-term plan included exploring alternative solutions to replace or upgrade the marine entirely.

However, environmental advocates argue that relying on compliance with regulatory limits is not enough. During the Public Advisory Forum meeting, Dr Kevin Winter from the Future Water Institute at the University of Cape Town said that even if the City met legal thresholds, the cumulative effects of wastewater discharges could still pose long-term environmental risks.

Refurbishments and future alternatives for marine outfalls


In the short term, the City has embarked on a phased refurbishment plan to enhance the performance and resilience of the marine outfall system with ongoing refurbishment and repair of screening systems; refurbishment of the degritting installation at Hout Bay; and odour control upgrades at Camps Bay included for the 2025 financial year.

For 2026 to 2028, the City has an estimated cost of R160-million for the planned replacement of ageing mechanical and electrical equipment; upgrades to the flow measurement systems, including emergency overflow monitoring; enhancing fire protection and ventilation systems; refurbishing of corroded channels and manholes at Green Point; and new odour control systems for Camps Bay and an upgraded odour control system for Green Point.

Badroodien confirmed that the tender documents for these upgrades were being drafted, with procurement to follow.

Long-term alternatives to marine outfalls were being investigated by the City, and nine potential options had been identified. Feasibility assessments for these were currently being done.

To this end, the City was initiating the tender process for short to medium-term refurbishment (during the second quarter of 2025), advancing feasibility studies for long-term solutions through a multi-criteria decision-making process, and was developing concept designs for the preferred alternative.

Lansdowne said the planned upgrades of the marine outfalls in the 2025 financial year would significantly improve the quality of discharge and protect the coastline for communities and the environment. 

“We will be installing these upgrades as we continue exploring longer-term options for alternative wastewater treatments to the marine outfalls,” Lansdowne said.

Camps Bay, where the third of the City of Cape Town's three marine outfalls is located. (Photo: Jean Tresfon)



Ten percent of South Africa’s coastline is within the City of Cape Town, andLansdowne said that as the city grew they needed to do more to protect the coastline for future generations. 

Caroline Marx, director of RethinkTheStink, commented that repairs and refurbishment are not upgrades, and while the eventual installation of 1mm screens in place of 3mm screens will lead to the removal of more solids, it would not remove disease causing organisms or the many chemicals and pharmaceuticals bioaccumulating in Cape Town’s marine life. 

“What is needed is tertiary treatment at a minimum and timelines and budget”, said Marx.

Public outcry over marine outfalls 


Community members, environmental advocacy groups and opposition parties in the City voiced their frustration over the persistent pollution of Cape Town’s waterways, including the degradation of rivers and coastal areas due to sewage contamination. 

One of the key demands from the Public Advisory Forum meeting was for increased transparency and independent oversight of the wastewater management system. Several participants called for independent experts to be included in City’s decision-making processes, arguing that public trust has been eroded over the years.

Councillors and residents alike stressed the need for a more proactive approach. 

“We must do better than just compliance,” said Winter.

He acknowledged the City’s incredible investment in its monitoring, that it was comprehensive, and that the public was just beginning to understand the full might of what was going out at those discharge points. 

However, he said that what was concerning was that they were looking to compliance as a benchmark: “I think we ought to be doing much better than that. When I look at some of the data coming from that, nitrogen, ammonia, for instance, chemical oxygen demand, they’re incredibly high, and while we might be comfortable with compliance, they are damaging long-term to the environment and we ought to be doing better and maybe starting to develop our own benchmarks that start to increase our ability to discharge cleaner water than that.” 

The City said it remained committed to transparent environmental water governance. In the interim, with appeals under way to amend wastewater discharge permits and ongoing environmental monitoring, the future of the marine outfalls remains uncertain. DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeWvTRUpMk

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