Stellenbosch Municipality strongly refuted claims from the community that its drinking water is unsafe for consumption.
According to municipal spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar, allegations concerning substandard potable water quality has been doing the rounds.
“There is no factual basis for the claims made, as the water quality is regularly tested by oversight authorities, including independent laboratories, ensuring compliance with all safety standards,” he pointed out.
“Social-media posts suggesting the presence of limestone with heavy metal toxicity in the water supply as well as allegations related to arsenic content, are unfounded. The municipality strongly advises against the dissemination of unverified information. Limestone used to stabilise water does not contain harmful heavy metals and is a globally accepted method to prevent infrastructure corrosion.”
Grobbelaar added that heavy metals and arsenic are routinely tested by an external independent laboratory (CSIR). “These consistently meet the requirements of the SANS 241:2015 specification,” he said. “Contrary to misinformation, Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems are incredibly effective, removing more than 98% of arsenic from water.”
The municipality also revealed the latest full test results for various risk parameters, “all of which fell well within the specified SANS limits, confirming the safety and quality of the drinking water”.
- View it at https://stellenbosch.gov.za/2024/02/27/test-results-show-our-water-is-100-safe/.
