With the province in the grip of a severe water shortage, the City is looking into whether a treated effluent plant is feasible for the Green Point area.
The news was confirmed by Mayco member for informal settlements, water and waste services; and energy, Xanthea Limberg.
She said the plant could potentially service the irrigation needs of the Stadium precinct.
“If this goes through, the spring water could be repurposed and used to supplement our drinking water. A feasibility study is under way, which will inform technical specifications, costs and timelines.”
Ms Limberg stressed that it was more important than ever for residents to step up their water saving efforts.
“We need to save as much water as possible as it is looking increasingly unlikely that we are going to receive enough rain to fill the dams before summer. Current dam levels are not sufficient to last until the next rainy season. The City is looking to partner with the private sector in creating a short-term emergency water supply, using desalination, stormwater capture, or aquifer extraction, however it is currently unclear how much this could yield and as such saving as much as possible remains paramount,” she said.
Ward 115 councillor Dave Bryant, said he had met with officials in February to discuss the matter.
“I made a request to find alternative water sources to irrigate the Mouille Point Promenade and other surrounding amenities. We currently find ourselves in the midst of a severe water crisis and we must find ways to utilise all potential water sources across the city. It is heartening to see the steps being taken to make better use of the underground water sources and the potential for the use of treated effluent for irrigation. As portfolio chairperson of the Sustainability and Resilience committee I will also be advocating for new and innovative ways to save water across the metro,” he said.
On Monday the City said dam storage levels were at 27.4%, but useable water was only at about 17.4% which was very low for this time of the year.
This time last year dam storage levels were at 47.6%, with useable water at this time of year standing at 37.6%. The City is currently implementing Level 4b water restrictions which require all water users to use less than 87 litres of water a person a day in total.
