The Makhado Municipality has sent the Zoutpansberger two reports on possible borehole contamination and the test results of water samples taken in December last year.

The reports were sent in answer to a request by the newspaper to have access to the drinking water quality tests. No report on recent samples taken in February was received.

In all respects, the two December reports appear to be a replica of each other, except that, in the second report, the total choliform count and the E.coli count had changed to nil. The municipality was asked to explain the difference in microbiological results in samples seemingly taken on the same date and possibly at the same place.

The stated purpose of the report is that “there was (a) time where sewage works pumps failed to function, consequently sewage overflew and spilled on (sic) the boreholes. Therefore water contamination was suspected”.

The finding in the first report was that all parameters complied with recommended limits except the microbiological results, which indicated faecal contamination.

“On sampling date, 7 December, an operator said there were no-more dosing H.T.H in the reservoirs situated town uphill. I went down to main receiving reservoir in which borehole water is pumped and chlorinated before mixing with Albasini water, and found no disinfection happening. Chlorinator ball was stuck,” reads the report.

In the first report on borehole contamination, the affected area was described as “Makhado Town and surroundings”. The sampling taken from “Borehole water mixed with Albasini water” on 3 December showed that the “unmixed” water had a total coliform count of 111.9 and an E.coli count of 3.1, while the “mixed” water counts were 35.8 and 5.2. In the tests on 7 December, the counts dropped considerably but were still commented on as “out of rec. limits.”

The chemical analysis showed compliance in all aspects.

In the second report, the dates of samplings were the same and the chemical analysis an exact replica. In the bacteriological analysis, the counts for samples taken on 3 and 7 December were all given as nil for mixed and unmixed water.

The chloride value in the water was given as 480mg/l. According to SANS 241:2006, the recommended operational limit is less than 200. The maximum allowable for a limited duration is 200 to 600.

The report recommends that “reservoirs in town, where Albasini water mixes with borehole water, are provided with HTH and that chlorination at the reservoir next to railway station be regularly checked by an operator to ensure continuous chlorine dosage.”