The public has been warned not to use borehole or groundwater between Brits and the Roodekopjies dam after a large release of a toxic substance into the Crocodile River.
The deputy regional director for water resource management in the North West, Petrus Venter, said there was a large release of toxic chromium-6 into the Crocodile River below Brits on about December 8 and 9.
The polluted water is bright yellow in colour.
”While the river itself is now largely washed clean, the toxic Cr-6 pollution plume may have contaminated shallow groundwater aquifers immediately adjacent to the Crocodile River between Brits and the Roodekopjies dam,” Venter said.
”Users of groundwater should not drink groundwater from boreholes adjacent to the river if the water is bright yellow in colour.”
Venter said a bright yellow colour is evidence of contamination by chromium-6, which is used as a herbicide.
Stock watering with discoloured yellow water should also be avoided, he said.
He said the spillage ”almost certainly” came from the African Chrome industry, which belongs to the Industrial Development Corporation.
”African Chrome was established in the early 1990s, but in recent years it has been absolute disaster. It has almost become a toxic waste site and is now being cleaned up,” Venter said.
”The municipality agreed to let African Chrome pump its effluent with acceptable levels of chrome into the sewage network. On the day of the spill, the effluent was accidentally pumped into the river.”
Venter said there have been reports of dead plants along the river bank.
”Chromium-6 is used as a herbicide. It stops plants and other life productions in cells. It is possible that there were people pumping it on to their crops.”
The substance can cause liver and kidney failure if it is consumed.
Venter said there was a heavy downpour of rain in the area on the day of the spill. The department therefore hopes that farmers would have avoided irrigating their crops for a few days after the spill.
Venter said the department only recently became aware that exceptionally high levels of chromium-6 had been pumped into the river, which was why it has issued the warning.
Farmers in the area can contact the department at the Hartbeespoort office for assistance if they experience any problems. — Sapa