Cape Town's Zeekoevlei to be dredged over two-year period

13 Views

Zeekoevlei to be dredged

The City of Cape Town’s Spatial Planning and Environment Directorate recently announced that their plans to dredge the Zeekoevlei waterbody will soon be under way.

According to the City, over the past decades, there has been a large build-up of sediment and nutrient rich organics in the Zeekoevlei lakebed that has resulted in algal blooms, which has negatively impacted the overall health of the vlei and its water quality for recreational users.

Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews said that improving the water quality at Zeekoevlei was one of their top priorities.

“I am pleased to announce that after many months of preparations we are now at the point where the contractor is on site, getting the necessary infrastructure in place to commence with the dredging of two sections of the waterbody by May this year.” Andrews said.

What is dredging?

Dredging is the process of removing sediment, debris, and other materials from the bottom of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, harbours, and oceans. The process is done using specialised equipment like dredgers to deepen waterways, maintain navigation channels, prevent flooding, or reclaim land. Dredging is also commonly used in port maintenance, environmental cleanups, and construction projects.

What does this mean for residents?

The City said that two sections of Zeekoevlei will be dredged over a period of 26 months, namely Home Bay and Storm Bay, and that it was an extremely complicated process that requires a lot of prep work.

Residents and visitors should expect a lot of activity in these areas where the contractor will be busy, and should be aware of the following:

The work will happen from Monday to Saturday, but work may also be scheduled for public holidays and Sundays when absolutely necessary.
There may also be noise during working hours, and the dredging process will release an odour as organic material and sediment are disturbed.
Recreational users will have access to Zeekoevlei for rowing and sailing, but certain sections will be closed in the interest of safety.
The public will have access to Zeekoevlei, including for bird watching, but certain sections of the False Bay Nature Reserve will be restricted while the work is happening.

The dredging process is expected to commence in May 2025, if all goes as planned.