Grand Slam (Sewage) Sailing Series

Were the competitors of this event aware they were sailing in highly contaminated water?

The Hermanus Yacht Club municipal water sampling results has revealed readings 2000% over the National recreational water standards limits, making the water around the yacht club highly toxic and an extreme health risk.

See more information on this blog. 

The Hermanus Yacht Club's intestinal entraccoci water sample (e coli contamination) is 2500% over SA recreational water guideline standard

Do the members and their families know,

 do the National competitors and their families know,

do the Foreign competitors and their families know,

does the public know about the water contamination health risk? 

The Hermanus Yacht Club: The number one culprit for sewage pollution and artificial breaching lobby.

The Number One culprit for Hermanus Lagoon e coli pollution 

5200cfu/per 100ml Intestinal Enteroccoci

 Water sample taken 19th December 2013

2000% over SA Recreational water guideline

LOOK AT THE LAGOON WATER LEVELS IN THE PICTURES BELOW

*The Yacht Club septic tank is found between the two buildings (center in top picture) and well below 5msl set back line. 

2.0 msl (mean sea level)

                                           2.7 msl  (mean sea level)

Shocking statistics tell a frightening story of endemic e coli pollution in the Hermanus Lagoon (February 2014)

During December 2013 the Overstrand Municipality sampled the Klein River Estuary (as is customary in its bi-monthly water sampling program) in order to determine the level of faecal pollution. Intestinal enterococci (bacteria) is one of the bacterial indicator organisms used to determine faecal pollution. 

The following numbers are the results of the water samples collected for Intestinal Enteroccocci at the following sample points in the Klein River Estuary in December 2013;

Hermanus Yacht Club:     5200 cfu/per 100ml

Scout Camp:                   1940 cfu/per 100ml

Prawn Flats:                     3100 cfu/per 100ml

The SA Water Guideline for Recreational water (2009) states a level in excess of 185 cfu/per 100ml as poor (unacceptable) with a gastro-intestinal (GI) health risk index of 8.5% 
Some of the highest readings from the Hermanus Estuary (during this specific period of the year at these sites) represent over 1000 times higher risk factors compared to the official health hazard levels. 

 So why have none of these recordings been published and that a concerted NO SWIMMING program been put in place with signs and information, warning the public of the high health risks at these major tourist venues  (Stanford's Kings Street Jetty recorded 1100 cfu/per 100ml over same period)

The deathly silence and inactivity from the Counsel is nothing short of gross irresponsibility and shows a cynical disregard for the environment let alone the public at large.

The 2013/14 Hermanus Lagoon water samples published for the first time by HERMANUS UNPUBLISHED

        The unpublished Hermanus Lagoon water samples 

 2013/14 Overstrand municipality water sampling records show the horrifying facts of continuing sewage pollution in the Hermanus Lagoon 

Some of the recordings show extremely high levels of contamination, in some cases 2000 times over the 185 cfu/per 100ml standard guideline for Intestinal enteroccoci samples.

 Hermanus Yacht Club 

                                       December 2013   Enteroccoci     5200 cfu/ per 100ml

                                       January 2014       Enteroccoci     1200 cfu/ per 100ml 

Prawn Flats                    

                                        December 2013   Enteroccoci    3100 cfu/ per 100ml 

                                        January  2014      Enteroccoci    1370 cfu/ per 100ml

Stanford

                         Kings Street Jetty
                                                
                                      December 2013    Enteroccoci    1100 cfu/ per 100ml

                   

Interesting clues to the reasons for the historic artificial breaching of the Klein River Estuary

Drag net activity in the shallows of lagoon 1938 aerial survey

Coastal populations in the Cape have depended entirely on marine (and esturine) harvesting of fish and shell fish. It is here that one looks for the clues as to how, why and when the Klein River Estuary was artificially breached by local inhabitants looking to exploit the lagoon and the inter tidal exchange of the water bodies that constituted a major nursery for fish populations.  

Historic pictures of the old fishing harbor of Hermanus

Pictures below show the last signs of the once abundant marine biodiversity at Hermanus. After the plundering of natural resources for two Centuries (lasting into the early 20th Century) saw, not only the local extinction of the larger mammals (Elephant, Rhino, Hippo, Buffalo) but the total extinction of the Blou Bok and Quagga from the Cape. The depletion of fish stocks also coincided with the first signs of estuarine ecosystem decay, set in motion by the artificial breaching of the Bot and Klein River Estuaries by traditional seine net fisherman and the the advent of extensive herding of sheep and cattle and agricultural development in the catchment, causing Increasing siltation and nitrate run off into the estuary.

Sport fishing catch predominately Red Steenbras endemic to Cape/Natal. Known to enter deep estuaries. 

Huge unsustainable catch of predominantly juvenile Kabelou (Kob) with no refrigeration meant large amount of spoilt catches.

Earliest known picture of the Old Harbor circa 1873

Aerial view of the Klein River Estuary mouth taken on the 23rd December 1938

There are stories told of fisherman and property owners digging the mouth of the lagoon open, from both sides at the same time and seeing who could open the lagoon first!

It is said that the traditional artisan fisherman from Gansbaai would dig the channel on the Eastern side, from where they had ready access on the Eastern side of the lagoon mouth. The White holiday property owners would dig on the western side when their houses were threatened with innundation from the rising waters of the lagoon..

 Poor estuary, no wonder its in such a mess!

THE UNPUBLISHED OVERSTRAND MUNICIPAL WATER SAMPLING RECORDS FOR 2013/2014

Unpublished till now!


THIS IS THE WHOLE SAD STORY (RECORDS) 
OF UNBELIEVABLE MUNICIPAL INCOMPETENCE 

 Below is the 2013 - 2014 water sample records (unpublished) for Klein River Estuary; it follows on from the previously published records found on the OVERSTRAND ESTUARIES WEB SITE the web site readings ended March 2013.

THE 13/14 RECORDINGS SHOW THAT FOR FOUR MONTHS NO RECORDS WERE TAKEN AND THOSE THAT WERE, WERE BOTCHED, FIDDLED OR LOST  ! 

If you scroll down the page you will find the MUNICIPALITIES actual document that they sent to us on
 30 January 2014.

READ AND WEEP!

The SA Water Guideline for Recreational water (2009) states a level intestinal enterococci in excess of 185 cfu/per 100ml as poor (and unacceptable) with a gastro-intestinal (GI) health risk index of 8.5% .

SAMPLE SITES	St Code
ScoutCamp	K1
PrawnFlats	K2
YachtClub	K3
Stanford-Slipway	K4
King-St-Jetty	K5
Wortelgat	K6

15-Aug-13		29-Aug-13		12-Sep-13		26-Sep-13
E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent
17	600	1	1	4	690	17	23
77	1050	0	0	37	850	17	27
26	640	1	1	1	640	24	0
2900	1460	1	1	120	1050	165	0
5100	1960	1	1	112	910	198	71
160	2900	1	1	8	630	270	21

10-Oct-13		24-Oct-13		07-Nov-13		21-Nov-13
E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent
2	0	4	0	1	1	43	630
7	10	7	260	1	1	1	1
1	3	8	0	1	1	51	710
48	39	10	72	1	1	1	1
41	33	50	0	40	56	1	1
40	0	1	0	9	0	98	900

12-Dec-13		19-Dec-13		09-Jan-14		23-Jan-14
E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent	E.coli	Intest Ent
0	1940	3	290	40	600	90	460
0	3100	0	1370	350	3500	0	1700
0	0	20	5200	40	1200	0	0
120	720	1	1	1	1	42	180
16	1100	1	1	1	1	160	160
8	0	1	1	1	1	0	29000

The SA Water Guideline for Recreational water (2009) states a level intestinal enterococci in excess of 185 cfu/per 100ml as poor (and unacceptable) with a gastro-intestinal (GI) health risk index of 8.5% .

Below is the actual document received from the municipality on 30 Jan 2014  

Station K1 (Klein Estuary – scout camp)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                                 17                                          600                                                                            

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                  4                                           690                                                                                      

26/9/2013                                 17                                           23

10/10/2013                                2                                      no growth          

24/10/2013                                4                                      no growth      

7/11/2013                                            sample spoiled

21/11/2013                               43                                          630                                     

5/12/2013                           no growth                                 1 940                      

19/12/2013                                3                                            290

9/1/2014                                    40                                          600

23/1/2014                                  90                                          460                                                                                    

Station K2 (Klein Estuary – Prawn Flats)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                                 77                                         1 050                                                                             

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                 37                                           850                                                                                          

26/9/2013                                 17                                            27

10/10/2013                                7                                             10            

24/10/2013                                7                                            260            

7/11/2013                                            sample spoiled

21/11/2013                                           bottle broke                          

5/12/2013                          no growth                                  3 100

19/12/2013                        no growth                                  1 370

9/1/2014                                 350                                         3 500

23/1/2014                          no growth                                  1 700     

Station K3 (Klein Estuary – yacht club)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                                 26                                           640                                                                                 

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                  1                                            640                                                                                         

26/9/2013                                 26                                     no growth

10/10/2013                                1                                              3                                                         

24/10/2013                                8                                      no growth                                                       

7/11/2013                                            sample spoiled

21/11/2013                               51                                          710                            

5/12/2013                          no growth                              no growth                                        

19/12/2013                               20                                        5 200

9/1/2014                                    40                                        1 200

23/1/2014                          no growth                              no growth               

              

Station K4 (Klein Estuary – Stanford slipway)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                               2 900                                      1 460                                                                                                                           

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                 120                                       1 030                                                                                                                                        

26/9/2013                                 165                                   no growth

10/10/2013                                48                                           39                                                                                                       

24/10/2013                                10                                           72                                                                                             

7/11/2013                         bottle broke (courier involved in accident)      

21/11/2013                                            not sampled                           

5/12/2013                                 120                                         720                                             

19/12/2013                                            not sampled

9/1/2014                                                not sampled

23/1/2014                                  42                                          180                                        

Station K5 (Klein Estuary – King Street jetty)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                               5 100                                      1 960                                                                                                                                                                 

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                112                                          910                                                                                                                                            

26/9/2013                                198                                           71                                  

10/10/2013                               41                                            33                                                                                                                                                  

24/10/2013                               50                                      no growth                                                                                                                                        

7/11/2013                                 40                                            56      

21/11/2013                                            not sampled                           

5/12/2013                                 19                                         1 100                                                                                        

19/12/2013                                            not sampled

9/1/2014                                                 not sampled

23/1/2014                                160                                          160

                                       

Station K6 (Klein Estuary – Wortelgat)

Date                                Escherichia coli                 Intestinal Enterococci

                                            (cfu/100ml)                           (cfu/100ml)

15/8/2013                                160                                        2 900                                                                                                                                                                                                        

29/8/2013                                          no bottles available

12/9/2013                                  8                                            630                                                                                                                                                                                       

26/9/2013                                270                                           21                                    

10/10/2013                               40                                      no growth                                                                                                                                                        

24/10/2013                                1                                       no growth                                                                                                                                                                             

7/11/2013                                  9                                       no growth                                                    

21/11/2013                               98                                           900                            

5/12/2013                                  8                                       no growth                                                                                                                                        

19/12/2013                                            not sampled

9/1/2014                                                 not sampled

23/1/2014                          no growth                                  29 000