Sewage blocks Baakens
Riverlife and residents left gasping by smelly sludge
AWEEK-old sewage spill into the Baakens River that has been killing fish in Essexvale appears to have finally been plugged – but the crisis may not be over yet for besieged river life and gagging residents.
Although the inflow of sewage seems to have stopped, the flow in the river is so weak that the sludge is still lying thickly in the pools and among the reeds, suffocating fish and generating a terrible stench.
Resident Pieter Human said his family and other members of the tight-knit community had over the past week rescued thousands of little fish that had congregated at the surface of the pools, gasping for air, and relocated them upstream.
“We have two resident turtles in the river [here] and there’s no sign of them now. There seems to be very little life left downstream of the spill,” Human said.
“Besides the birdlife we also have water monitors and otters, but we’re hopeful they will be okay because they can move upstream on the land.”
Sewage was still pouring into the river yesterday morning but after work by municipal officials in the afternoon, it had stopped, he said.
Another resident, Penny Sawyer, said the stench was unbearable. “We have to shut all our windows most of the time and cancel any braaiing.”
Resident Johan Gerryts, of Fat Tracks mountain biking club, said sewage pollution in the valley was a major obstacle to the development of a successful riding-hiking trail network.
Baakens Valley Community Partnership and Wildlife Society environmental governance manager Morgan Griffiths said conservation rangers found dead fish in the river on Saturday and traced the problem back to the Essexvale sewage pump station.
“Workers were emptying the overflow into the river. The rangers were able to educate them on why this was unacceptable and alert the Settlers Park manager.”
Baakens Valley Action chairman Andrew Rist confirmed the continuing problem with sewage spills in the Baakens but said he was satisfied the municipality was instituting a long-term maintenance plan to prevent this.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality had become aware on January 8 that a section of sewer pipeline from the Essexvale pump station was broken.
Repairs began the next day and at the same time, vacuum tankers were used to manage the level of the water in the sewer line to prevent further spillage, he said.
“The repair was successfully completed. There are currently no known spillages into the river. We will revisit the area to ensure this remains the case.”