A crucial refurbishment is being conducted on the Amersfort Waste Water Treatment Works to prevent sewer spillages.

Over the next six months Amersfort Waste Water Treatment Works is being refurbished to increase the current capacity and improve the quality of the final effluent coming from the plant.

According to the Department of Water and sanitation (DWS) the intervention is critical to ensure that there are no sewer spillages polluting the water resources and the environment. The department also expects the refurbishment to lead to a significant increase with regards to the compliance of the effluent being discharged from the plant.

This will also result in a significant decrease in sewer pollution of the water resources in the Vaal Catchment. The water resources will be more protected and the community will live in a safe environment as there will be no unnecessary sewer spills.

The DWS has allocated roughly R3.3 million through the Accelerated Community Infrastructure Programme (ACIP) to ensure that the waste water treatment works is restored to optimal functionality and produce effluent that is of good standard.

The refurbishment of the plant is also meant to address capacity issues as well as prevent the pollution of water resources by non-compliant effluent.

The waste water treatment works was initially designed and operated to meet the required effluent standards. Over time the condition of the plant deteriorated due to inadequate operation and maintenance which led to non-compliance to the general limits.

The project is set to be completed in October 2016.

 

The state of SA’s WWTWs

The refurbishment of the Amersfort Waste Water Treatment Works forms part of the DWS’s intervention in the municipalities most affected by sewer spillages through funding the refurbishments of waste water treatment works.

According to the DWS many dysfunctional municipal waste water treatment plants are polluting water sources.

The department has found that waste water treatment works in most municipalities are in a state of decay due to poor maintenance. The situation is also compounded by the fact that communities are growing while the infrastructure is not. This leads to overloading which in turn leads to spillages.