The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Alderman Xanthea Limberg, recently visited the Mitchells Plain Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) to check the progress of refurbishments. The last of a series of projects is scheduled for completion in February 2022, bringing the total project cost to R160 million.
So far, the multifaceted rehabilitation programme at the Mitchells Plain Wastewater Treatment Works is making good progress, and is on track to be completed in 2022 as anticipated.
The facility was constructed in 1975, and services all households and businesses between Baden Powell and the R300 in the north and south, and Jakes Gerwel and Swartklip Road in the East and West, as well as the Strandfontein area as far west as Pelican Park.
Capacity has been progressively extended from 5,5 million litres per day to the current 35 million litres per day with a series of upgrades since 1975. The works is currently treating approximately 27 million litres per day during dry weather.
Thus far the following notable upgrades have taken place:
- Replacement of fine bubble diffuser aerators in the reactors (completed 2020, R19,6 million)
- Construction of a concrete boundary fence (completed 2020, R8 million)
- Refurbishment and construction of new inlet works (completed 2017, R46,6 million)
- Replacement of mechanical aeration blowers and associated instrumentation (completed 2015, R27,6 million)
- Upgraded dewatering facility (Completed 2015, R52,4 million)
The replacement of mechanical mixers in the reactors is currently under way, and is scheduled to be completed in 2022, at a cost of R29,3 million. This takes the cost of the current upgrade programme to in excess of R160 million.
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The refurbishment focused on replacing mechanical equipment that had reached the end of or was nearing the end of its functional lifespan; improving hydraulic efficiency; repairing damaged civil structures; upgrading the sludge dewatering facilities; installation of electrical infrastructure, along with measuring instrumentation; and improving safety and security on site.
A perimeter wall was constructed due to incidences of cable theft. Two years ago the fence was replaced with a high security solid concrete wall with an electric fence on top for the plant perimeter at a cost of R8,5 million. This has stopped theft and vandalism at the plant.
‘The Water and Sanitation Department is driving substantial investment in its WWTWs, with several major facility upgrades under way involving capacity expansions. While the Mitchells Plain WWTW project is comparatively smaller than the likes of Zandvliet or Potsdam for instance, it is just as important that timeous and conscientious maintenance work is carried out on these facilities, ensuring sustainable operation of services, both for residents in the Mitchells Plain catchment and across the city, as well as our environment.
‘Over the course of the current term of office, we have seen increasing priority given towards improving the health of our rivers and coastlines. Projects such as this one are key to upholding the commitment in our water strategy to progressively transform into a water-sensitive city.
‘Refurbishment of a wastewater treatment works is a complex process, as the works must continue to operate and produce compliant effluent while works are under way. It must be intricately planned and coordinated. The expertise of project managers and engineers who have undertaken this work is also worthy of recognition. The plant is functioning well and reliably producing a high quality effluent,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
