MILNERTON
Woensdag, 17 Februarie 2021 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
@TygerBurger
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‘Nippers’ ‘Nippers’ in full swing
The junior class of the Milnerton Lifesaving Club, the Nippers, started their training recently. With no competitions on the horizon, the club has time to train more lifeguards. Last week saw the start of a new Junior Lifeguard award class. These juniors will hopefully be lifeguards on Millies beach next summer.
POTSDAM WASTEWATER: SLUDGE REMOVAL CAUSES ODOUR
Locals sick of stench KAILIN DANIELS @k10daniels
“T
he stench is unbearable and complaining to the City of Cape Town is useless. Something needs to be
done.” These are the words of a fuming resident in Montague Gardens, Sarah Pickcard, who claims that a cloud of bad odour is hanging in the Milnerton area, allegedly coming from the Potsdam wastewater treatment works (PWWTW). According to Pickard, and other concerned residents in the area, they are uncertain what is causing the stench. “The smell will make anyone want to pack away their lunch and go about their day. We have received no communication from the
City or any other companies in surrounding areas as to what is causing the bad odour. However, when we drive past Potsdam, it seems that this is where it’s coming from,” Pickcard says. The City released a statement last week, saying that contractors are in the process of removing sludge stockpiled at PWWTW, and the disruption of the stockpile is causing a bad odour, as anticipated. “The City regrets the discomfort to residents, and every effort is being made to suppress the smell while the work is underway,” the City says in their statement. Removal of the stockpile in the sludge pond commenced on 28 January, and all sludge that could be directly loaded onto trucks was removed by 3 February. The City says that during those six days,
over 1 000 tons of sludge cake was removed from the sludge pond stockpile, and this included all stockpiled primary sludge cake. “All the water contained in the sludge cake stockpile moved to the bottom of the pond over time, and therefore the remaining sludge in the pond was too wet to be removed by truck immediately. Further processing was required to ensure that the sludge is sufficiently dry to be transported by truck. This process is time-consuming and does release odour, which is contributing to the ongoing odour around the plant,” the City explains. Odour suppression and masking have continued throughout the removal operation. This has been ongoing since 4 February, and removal of the remaining sludge, which is expected to be fully processed/dry, began on 13 February. This should see a reduction in
odours. “It is envisaged that the pond will be completely cleaned out in approximately two weeks. Furthermore, it is also noted though that the trucks disposing the sludge do have a very strong odour and are probably the cause of some significant odour along its route to the disposal site. The plant has requested the drivers of the vehicles transporting sludge to hose the vehicles down before leaving the site, which should also further aid in reducing odours in the area,” says the City in its statement. They (the City) also apologised for the severe impact and inconvenience caused by the odours. “Every effort is being made to clear the rest of the sludge that is too wet to transport as soon as possible.”
Please call our office on 021 555 4418 for an appointment Enquiries at: Canal Walk Shopping Centre, Century City melvyn@wolfbros.co.za ● www.wolfbros.co.za
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