Potsdam sewage treatment plant in South Africa set for an upgrade

The Potsdam sewage treatment plant in South Africa is set for an upgraded. Potsdam town council launched the project and said the rehabilitation aims to reduce ongoing pollution in the Diep River and Milnerton Lagoon.

The plant located in the suburb of Milnerton is the main wastewater management facility in Potsdam, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Potsdam Sewage Treatment Plant has a length of 2.49 kilometres.

READ:Kenya to develop water and sanitation project in Thika

Potsdam sewage treatment plant

The upgrade project set to receive a funding of US $294M from municipality of Potsdam, involve rebuilding of demolished part of the old plant and installing new treatment equipment to replace ageing parts.

The belt presses will also be repaired, cleaning the basins and refurbishing the ultraviolet (UV) system among other interventions. The wastewater treatment plan would be upgraded from 47MI/d to 100 MI/d and will be completed in 2026. The current treating capacity of the facility is insufficient for the Potsdam authorities, given that the city’s population is expected to reach 176,000 before end of 2022.

At the same time, the municipality of Potsdam is also planning to place sandbags in the Erica Road outfall and to create a barrier to prevent waste from reaching the Milnerton Lagoon, which is located in the Diep River catchment. Trash traps will also be installed at identified stormwater outfalls to capture solid waste from Milnerton, Royal Ascott, Joe Slovo and Phoenix.

“Every step towards seeing this upgrade become a reality needs to be recognised because WWTW projects are complex in nature and take years to complete,” said Water and waste Mayco member Zahid Badroodien.