Kouga Municipality assures integrity of second dam at St Francis Bay

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The Kouga Municipality has given residents of St Francis Bay the assurance that a second natural dam above Santareme will not burst its banks.

Kouga executive mayor Booi Koerat says the dune walls of the dam show no sign of structural strain.

He also says the municipality will be putting in a syphoning system in place to systematically drain water from the dam to ease the pressure on the walls.

"We aim to have the system in place within the next few days. The water will be syphoned out and diverted into our stormwater system," he said.

The Mayor said staff would also be monitoring the dam closely in the event of further rain.

He said two municipal sewerage lines had been severed by the torrent of water that flooded through Santareme on Saturday, September 15, after the wall of the smaller dune dam breached.

He assured residents that there was no danger of a sewerage spill, as there was sufficient capacity at the pump station for the sewerage to be stored until temporary lines had been installed.

"Vacuum tankers will also be brought in if necessary," he said. "We will start with the permanent repairs once the damage has been assessed by our insurance company."
Damage to a water pipe in Tom Brown Boulevard, which left several houses without water, was repaired on Saturday.

Several luxury homes were damaged when the walls of a natural dam bust its banks, sending a torrent of water into Santareme.

Roads and sidewalks were also damaged.