The City of Cape Town wants to inform residents and development professionals that, in certain suburbs, clearance for some new developments to connect to the sewerage system will be aligned to the completion of major capacity upgrades at the Potsdam, Zandvliet, and Macassar Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs). To ensure sustainable development, it is necessary that these plants operate within existing capacity while major upgrades are underway.
Over the next three years, almost 50% of the City’s R25 billion capital expenditure plan will be invested in water and sanitation infrastructure. The City is further projecting a minimum R8bn investment for major Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTWs) upgrades over the next 10 years.
As an accountable and responsible local government, the City is committed to doing everything possible to enable sustainable economic growth and development, while meeting Municipal Planning By-law (MPBL) obligations to take into account the capacity of services infrastructure when applications for new developments are submitted for approval.
While capacity upgrades are under way at the Potsdam, Zandvliet, and Macassar WWTWs, it is necessary to ensure sustainable development in suburbs falling within the drainage areas for these three plants.
The City’s Development Management Department will still receive, assess, and finalise development applications as per usual.
However, landowners and the development fraternity are urged to familiarise themselves with rules applying to the clearance for new developments to connect to the sewerage system.
“Given that preparations for most of the large developments take years, we strongly recommend that developers still go ahead and submit their applications to the City. Once they have the necessary approvals it means there will be no delays, and construction plans can be aligned for connection to the sewage system as soon as the new capacity at the specific water treatment plant becomes available.
“I urge landowners and professionals from the development fraternity to set up pre-application meetings with the City’s Development Management Department so that they can be informed of the implications for their specific projects,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
Unpacking rules for approving developments in areas serviced by the Zandvliet, Potsdam, and Macassar WWTWs
The predicted sewage discharge from a development is directly related to its predicted water demand and size. Thus, the following choices will need to be made when considering an application in one of the constrained Wastewater Treatment Works catchments:
• Any type of Municipal Planning By-law application, development or building plan of small size can proceed. This allows for up to 4.0 kl/day water demand from up to ten dwelling units or 2 000m2 of usable floor area. A caveat is necessary in that, during the period before the particular treatment works has been upgraded and depending on the cumulative estimated sewage discharge from all such developments, the Director Bulk Services: Water and Sanitation may announce a cutoff point at which no further applications will be allowed to proceed (or such building plans approved) until the upgrading has been completed.
• For all larger sizes of Municipal Planning By-law application or development, postponement of connection and sewage discharge to the City system (or in the case of building plans, refusal) may be required. For medium-size building plans or existing zoning rights that have not lapsed, (up to five times the size or water demand of a small development) where on a case-by-case basis in discussion with the Water and Sanitation Department, some startup phasing may be necessary(similar to what a small size development would have generated) before completion of the treatment works upgrade.
• A temporary solution of a package plant for on-site waste water treatment to enable earlier commencement of development may be supported by the City, but note that no discharge from such scheme will be allowed into the City sewerage system in the constrained catchment. Also note that approval of a licence for such a plant will be required from the National Department of Water and Sanitation according to strict conditions of quality compliance, effluent or sludge disposal, and system management.
Landowners and developers will be advised, during a pre-submission consultation of the relevant infrastructure capacity constraints and how these may affect their applications. This is so that landowners and developers can plan ahead and decide when they want to submit development applications, and how to time construction work.
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Advice and notes for landowners and developers:
• Landowners and developers from affected suburbs are encouraged to schedule a pre-submission meeting with the development management district office in their area to discuss the impact on their proposed applications.
• Developers are encouraged to keep on submitting their development applications as larger developments usually have longer lead-times to implementation, in particular when it involves environmental and other authorisations.
• All development applications will be assessed as per usual, and in terms of the City’s Municipal Planning By-law, and other relevant City policies.
• Land use rights are valid for five years and approvals can be extended for another five years upon application.
• All building plans will be assessed in terms of the National Building Regulations.
• The City’s Water and Sanitation Department will assess each building plan on its own merits to determine whether the relevant WWTW has capacity for the new building/development or not. If the assessment is positive, clearance will be given to discharge sewage. Once this clearance is issued, the Development Management Department can finalise the building plan and the developer may then proceed with construction.
• Building plans for existing rights and existing approvals will be circulated to the City’s Directorate for Water and Waste for assessment as explained above.
• All approved developments will have to comply with water-saving plumbing and measures to reduce sewage discharge.
• Developers are encouraged to send an email to BuilditRight@capetown.gov.za to subscribe to the Development Management’s online portal for more information, maps of the suburbs and areas that are being affected, the sewage discharge assessment methodology to be applied, and further updates.
List of areas draining to the relevant WWTWs
Potsdam WWTW
• Acacia Park, Annandale Farm, Atlantis Gardens, Big Bay, Blaauwberg Strand, Blouberg Rise, Blouberg Sands, Bloubergrant, Bothasig, Brooklyn, Burgundy Estate, Century City, Dunoon, Edgemead, Flamingo Vlei, Glenwood, Joe Slovo Park, Kaapzicht, Killarney Gardens, Kleinbosch, Lagoon Beach, Marconi Beam, Milnerton, Milnerton Ridge, Montague, Montague Gardens, Monte Vista, N1-City, Parklands, Phoenix, Plattekloof Glen, Plattekloof Partial, Racing Park, Richmond Park, Richwood, Rivergate, Royal Ascot, Rugby, Sanddrift, Sandown, Summer Greens, Sunningdale, Sunridge, Sunset Beach, Sunset Links, Table View, The Stables, Tijgerhof, Tygerdal, Welgelegen, West Beach, West Riding, Ysterplaat
Zandvliet WWTW
• Amandelsig, Austinville, Bellville Teachers College, Benno Park, Blackheath Industria, Blue Downs CBD, Bosonia, Brentwood Park – Blue Downs, Camelot, Danarand, De Kuilen, De Wijnlanden Estate, Delft 4, Delft South, Delro Village, Dennemere, Eerste Rivier South, Eikenbosch Kuils River, Eindhoven, Ekuphumleni, Electric City, Eyethu, Fairdale, Forest Heights, Forest Village, Fountain Village, Gaylee, Gersham, Graceland, Greenfields, Hagley, Happy Valley, Harare, Highbury, Highbury Park, Highgate, Hillcrest Heights, Hindle Park, Hunters Creek, Ilitha Park, Jagtershof, Kalkfontein, Khaya, Kleinvlei Town, Klipdam, Kuilsrivier South Smallholdings, Kuyasa, Leiden, Lillydale, Loucharmante, Malibu Village, Mandela Park, Mfuleni, Mikro Park, Mxolisi Phetani, Nonqubela, Oakdene, Roosendal, Rosedale – Klein Vlei, Rotterdam, Rustdal, Sabata Dalindyebo Square, Sarepta, Saxenburg Park 1, Silveroaks, Silversands, Silvertown – Khayelitsha, St Dumas, Sunbird Park, The Conifers, The Hague, Thembokwezi, Turtle Creek, Tuscany Glen, Umrhabulo Triangle, Victoria Mxenge, Voorbrug, Vredelust Kuils River, Wembley Park, Wesbank, Zevendal, Zevenzicht
Macassar WWTWs
• All suburbs in the towns of Gordon’s Bay, Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Strand, Somerset West, Firgrove, Croydon, Faure, Macassar and surrounding rural areas
Waste Water Treatment Works upgrade programme:
Major capital upgrades to the value of approximately R4,4bn are under way to expand capacity at the Potsdam, Zandvliet, and Macassar WWTWs.
• These processes are progressing well. Advertising of tenders for construction for the Potsdam upgrade is imminent
• Construction at Zandvliet is progressing well and on track to meet its deadline
• The procurement process for a professional services provider for the upgrade of the Macassar WWTW is being finalised, and the design of the upgrade is expected in due course
• The Zandvliet WWTW will be upgraded from 72MI/d to 90 MI/d by 2024
• The Potsdam WWTW will be upgraded from 47MI/d to 100 MI/d by 2026
• The Macassar WWTW will be upgraded from 34 MI/d to 70 MI/d by 2027
The City started capacity upgrade projects for both the Zandvliet and the Potsdam WWTW in 2009, having just completed a major plant capacity addition at Potsdam in 2008.
Both of these upgrade processes have, over the years, been subject to protracted tender appeals from unsuccessful bidders, and a lengthy land claim determination process (Zandvliet).
These processes have in turn impacted the timelines of the Macassar WWTW capacity upgrade, as constrained municipal finances limit the number of upgrades of this magnitude that can occur simultaneously.
“Even without additional delays, complex projects of this magnitude inherently have long implementation timelines, due to the technical complexity of upgrading a wastewater treatment plant while still in operation, and the many statutory obligations with which the City must comply. Although it will be a number of years before capacity constraints are resolved, stakeholders are assured that the City’s Water and Sanitation Department is making every effort to bring forward completion dates as far as possible,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
