CSIR to release latest findings on eThekwini's sea disposal

The annual report focuses on the effluent from its two sewage treatment works.

The CSIR's principal researcher, Brent Newman says the city currently has a license to dispose at sea - saying that license holders have a responsibility to implement monitoring programmes that look at the effect of the waste water discharge on marine life.

Newman says the city's two sewage treatment works in the Bluff (the discharge of domestic waste) and in Merewent (the discharge of industrial waste).

"It's a lot of what we call particulate organic matter. Effluent - that is faeces or bits of food and organic matter - settles on the sea bed. It's food for a lot of animals. If you have too much it becomes a bit of a problem. It's broken down by various organisms particularly bacteria. They use too much oxygen and that leads to a number of changes in animals that can live in those areas," he said.  

The council will present its findings at their offices in Glenwood this evening.