Comparative assessment of water quality at Durban beaches according to local and international guidelines

Abstract

The pathogenic pollution of Durban's beaches is reviewed on the basis of local and international guidelines by analysing concentrations of indicator micro-organisms (E. coli and enterococci). The average water quality is generally acceptable according to South African guidelines, but assessments based on international guidelines indicate poor water quality at many beaches during some seasons (especially summer). The reason for this inconsistency is the absence of any enterococcus criteria in the SA guidelines, which was found to be particularly significant when the pollution loadings are relatively low. This result confirms epidemiological studies that have shown enterococcus to be a more sensitive indicator of pathogenic pollution in marine environments. South African guidelines should therefore be updated to incorporate enterococcus as the preferred indicator for marine waters.