Durban – With the Dusi Canoe Marathon approaching, Umgeni Water said it has ramped up river water quality testing and monitoring.
Umgeni Water said that with the Dusi Canoe Marathon two weeks away, taking place between February 16 and 18, Umgeni Water is undertaking additional river water quality sampling.
Umgeni Water said that this is occurring weekly at multiple points in the Msunduzi River, including the route of the race. The race takes place from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon in Durban.
The entity said that ordinarily, Umgeni Water does sampling weekly in the Msunduzi River, as part of its routine raw water quality monitoring programme. The majority of the sampling points are on the upper Msunduzi River catchment and within the Msunduzi area. The sampling includes major Msunduzi River tributaries, namely the Slangspruit, Dorpspruit and Baynespruit.
Umgeni Water explained that sampling is able to characterise the sewage collection-related challenges within the Msunduzi area. Water quality results are communicated weekly to key stakeholders, including the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Msunduzi Local Municipality, with a view to the early detection of problem areas and implementation of remedial action.
“The sampling being undertaken in the run-up to the Dusi Canoe Marathon began on January 23, and is in addition to the routine monitoring that occurs,” Umgeni Water said.
“The additional sampling is being undertaken in conjunction with the Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust (Duct). Samples from predetermined points are collected by representatives of Duct while Umgeni Water conducts analysis and reporting to stakeholders.”
“Additional sampling will continue until the day of the race at several points downstream in the Mgeni River leading to Inanda Dam.”
Umgeni Water said that the most recent E coli results signify that parts of the Msunduzi River have been impacted by sewage-related contamination. The recent heavy rainfalls have contributed to a deterioration in water quality.
It explained that it is a common occurrence that rainfall-related run-off and sewer leakages associated with stormwater sewer ingress generally result in greater sewage-associated contamination of parts of the Msunduzi River. The extent of sewage-associated water quality deterioration is always proportional to the quantum of the recorded precipitation.
Umgeni Water said that the recent elevated E coli results within the upper Msunduzi catchment are largely due to sewer leakages within the Msunduzi area. E coli results from the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works, on the other hand, have been relatively low, thus this plant has had no significant role in the recently recorded Msunduzi River sewage contamination.
It generally occurs that in the absence of heavy rainfall and associated run-off from the catchment, the water quality of the Msunduzi River improves significantly, Umgeni Water said.
“In the days ahead, depending on the outcomes of river water quality monitoring and if requested by the organisers of the race, Umgeni Water will be able to release water from the decommissioned Henley Dam. This dam is currently at 107%. Releases from it will flush the Msunduzi River and increase its level, enabling paddlers to move through it swiftly,” Umgeni Water said.
Meanwhile, last month, organisers of the marathon decided to drop the reverse order start that they had implemented for a number of years.
The change will see the elapsed time paddlers at the front of the race head off first as opposed to the B Batch which would traditionally leave Inanda Dam early on the final morning of the race.
Dusi organising committee chairperson Steve Botha said: “We had long and robust discussions on the reverse order start ahead of the 2023 Dusi so it wasn't a decision we took lightly.”
“The reverse order start gave those that have finished the chance to follow the race during the live streaming and live coverage. However, with no live coverage we took the decision to change it back.
“The reverse order start has been a heated debate since inception. While extremely successful in its implementation, it created its own unique challenges, for paddlers, seconders and the event safety team.
“We felt that it has to be changed in order to mitigate the logistical challenges that we face,” Botha said.
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