E.coli an unwelcome visitor at 2 beaches

GEORGE NEWS - Two local beaches had their ups and downs with E.coli counts in December and early January, which had holidaymakers watching the municipal online notices religiously to make sure they can count on a day at the beach.

Since 8 January the Blue Flag beach at Herold's Bay remained open for swimming. This follows after a sewer pipe failure in the network led to contaminated water draining onto the beach from the minor river tributary after the high rainfall.

Repairs have been completed on the network and the spillage has been addressed.

However, the Gwaiing river mouth and beach, which is not a Blue Flag Beach, was unfortunately closed for most of December and has remained closed since 31 December until now.

According to municipal spokesperson Chantèl Edwards, the municipality continues with daily testing of the Gwaiing River by the accredited and the municipal laboratory, and results are showing signs of improvement. "However, the water quality remains unsafe for swimming," said Edwards.

What happened at Gwaiing?
The municipality has confirmed on several occasions that no pump stations along the Gwaiing River have failed. Two possible sources for the pollution were identified: historical sludge* on the riverbed that was disturbed by rough seas and pushed up the river, and sewer spillage from identified manholes, located near or along Gwaiing River.

Gwaiing river mouth and beach

Historical sludge
According to Edwards, the ongoing investigation has revealed that the dam wall of two ponds located at the Gwaiing Water Treatment Works broke after the flood incidents of November and December 2021. The dam walls were repaired at the time. "It would now appear that some of this sludge from these ponds may have washed down the Gwaiing River and settled at the mouth," said Edwards.

The second cause has been identified as sewer spillage from identified manholes, located near or along Gwaiing River, as well as on the several tributaries that join the Gwaiing River.

"Note the catchment area of the Gwaiing River is extensive and currently the testing runs from the near the botanical garden to Blanco to the Gwaiing river mouth. The investigation remains ongoing and no timeframe can be given," said Edwards. "The Civil Engineering Services Directorate has put in place a monitoring programme on strategic tributaries of the river; regular water quality testing remains in place and this allows possible pollution caused by municipal infrastructure to be identified and acted on."

Sewer overflow
A nearby farmer reported a sewer fault to George Municipality, which caused him severe inconvenience, including having to move a herd of cattle since the natural water sources on his property were polluted and not suitable for animal usage.

According to the farmer he reached out to the municipality for over a month to come and have a look, but Edwards confirmed that there was only one record of the farm sewer fault being reported to the municipality: on 30 December 2022.

"The overflow took place after the manhole was filled with earth, which has now been cleared. There is no correlation between this one manhole and the current E.coli count present in Gwaiing River," said Edwards.

E.coli
Illnesses caused by E.coli can range from mild to severe and life-threatening. Most people get better within five to seven days. Young children infected with E.coli are at highest risk of developing severe symptoms and complications, such as kidney failure.

"George Municipality acknowledges the frustrations of the public in this regard, but in the interests of health and safety and to protect our residents, the municipality continues to urge the public not to swim until the levels are within acceptable norms," said Edwards.

Notices will be issued as soon as test results clear the Gwaiing beach and river mouth for swimming.

* Sludge (or biosolids) is defined as the deposit or sediment of solid, semi-solid or slurry residual material that is produced as a by-product of farming activities or wastewater treatment processes for water and/or sewage.

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