The City closed part of Muizenberg Beach after a fault at a pump station caused a sewage spill into the sea.
Muizenberg Beach has been reopened to the public after a closure of four days.
The beach was closed on Monday, December 12 after an electrical fault at a pump station led to a sewage spill into the sea from the Zandvlei River mouth
According to a statement from the City, they have continuously monitored the water quality since the closure and can confirm that the latest samples meet the national water-quality guidelines for recreational activities.
On Monday, mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews said it was impossible to say when the beach would reopen.
At the time, he said: “It is anticipated that the wind and wave action will assist in dissipating the sewage that ended up in the ocean along this section of the beach. From past experience and monitoring, we know that water quality is impacted within 150m each side of a river mouth. Still, it is impossible to predict how soon this section of the beach will be open again.”
He said laboratory results took two to three days, and as such, there was always a delay between when the pollution had actually cleared and when the beach could be officially opened.
“From years of monitoring the impacts of spills, our expectation is that that actual pollution would have cleared and dissipated within 12 hours of the fault being repaired and the spill stopped.
“However, in terms of governance, the City cannot officially re-open the closed section until we have a laboratory result indicating the return to normal expected levels.”
Warning signs had been posted at the time to warn the public to avoid contact with the water.