New Hornlee sewer line completed

KNYSNA NEWS – The R5,9-million Hornlee sewer line project was recently completed.

It took the municipality five months to finalise the project, which included installing about 570m of 315mm-diameter PVC class 34 sewer main pipe, using open-trench and pipe-cracking methods.

The pipeline was laid parallel to existing pipelines with new manholes in order to lessen the occurrence of sewer blockages.

The project also included:

• Rehabilitation work on an existing pedestrian bridge, washed away pedestrian walkway and reconstruction of the existing 30m pipe bridge.

• Construction of a new pedestrian bridge of approximately 13m replacing the previously washed away bridge.

• Clearing a four metre wide strip of vegetation along approximately 550m of the riverbank, and

• Constructing a new bar screen and sump system to effectively remove any large foreign objects in the sewer line.

Acting Municipal Manager Dawid Adonis said the project created job opportunities for residents of the area and has resulted in improved service delivery. "The capacity of the existing sewer pipes was inadequate to accommodate the flows generated by the growing population of Hornlee, and the manholes were surging on a regular basis," he said.

Adonis said as the existing sewer main runs along the river, spills are posing an environmental risk, creating various health and safety hazards. Therefore, the aim of the upgrade was to increase capacity and mitigate constant blockages.

In addition, based on the Sewer Masterplan issued in February 2016, several areas were identified to be used for future infill housing in the Hornlee residential area. "The flows that will be generated by these areas will place additional stress on the capacity of the main gravity pipeline," he said.

He assured residents that maintaining and improving their infrastructure is part of their committed services to their communities.

"But we need your help in keeping our systems in good working order. An easy way to do this is to not flush foreign objects into the system. We are proudly upgrading these systems and facilities in Hornlee, and trust that the community will help us in looking after them."

The notice board about the sewer line project.