Cape Town launches coastal water quality alert service

The City of Cape Town has launched a new online service called ‘Cape Town Beach Alerts’ to provide real-time information on coastal water quality. The platform allows users to check results for monitored sites along the Atlantic and False Bay coastlines before visiting beaches or tidal pools.

The service features a colour-coded display indicating whether water quality meets national recreational guidelines. It also provides environmental and pollution alerts, weather forecasts, lifeguard schedules, and seasonal Blue Flag status. Registered users can receive push notifications via the City of Cape Town app.

To maintain the service, a sampling team collects seawater from over 100 locations across 300km of coastline every week. These samples are analyzed by a SANAS-accredited laboratory. Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews stated that the initiative aims to make complex coastal water quality data accessible to the public.