With increasing media coverage on the state of Mogale City’s wastewater treatment infrastructure, concerns have risen about the safety of our drinking water, causing some anxiety among residents. The municipality’s Water Services would like to reassure members of the community that drinking water we supply is completely safe for human consumption.
Understanding Wastewater
Wastewater refers to water that has already been used in households, businesses, or industrial activities. Once used, this water is transported through the municipality’s sewer network and pump stations to wastewater treatment plants such as Percy Stewart, Flip Human and Magalies, where it undergoes treatment before being released into rivers and streams.
The quality of wastewater discharged into our river systems currently does not meet the required standards of treated sewer water due to historic lack of maintenance work, aged infrastructure, a growing population, vandalised and stolen infrastructure as well as phased refurbishment work due to budget constraints.
How drinking water differs
In contrast, Mogale City sources drinking water directly from Rand Water which is supplied by the Vaal River system. This water undergoes rigorous treatment, purification, and disinfection before being distributed to homes and businesses via a separate municipal drinking water reticulation system. Residents can rest assured that Rand Water follows strict treatment protocols, including primary chlorine treatment, secondary monochloramine, and, where necessary, tertiary hypochlorite disinfection. These processes ensure that drinking water is safe for consumption.
In addition to Rand Water’s stringent checks, Mogale City conducts daily monitoring of drinking water supplied to our communities. All drinking water samples tested have consistently met safety standards and pose no health risks thus safe for human consumption.
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