City commences with Milnerton Beach Wells drilling
16 September 2026
The City of Cape Town will be commencing with the drilling of the first beach wells at Milnerton Beach today, 16 September 2026, as part of its Milnerton Beach Wells Project, an innovative pilot project aimed at improving water quality and environmental conditions in the Milnerton Lagoon.
The public may notice some activity at the Milnerton beachfront, as well as vehicles accessing the sites while the drilling of the beach wells is under way. This work forms part of a project to determine the efficacy of pumping water into the Milnerton Lagoon to improve the water quality.
This pilot will investigate whether saline groundwater from beneath the beach can be abstracted and introduced into the upper lagoon to improve flushing, dilute pollutant concentrations and increase dissolved oxygen and salinity.
‘The commencement of drilling marks an important milestone in the City’s efforts to find practical and evidence-based solutions for the Milnerton Lagoon. This is a pilot project, and its purpose is to test the intervention under real conditions while carefully monitoring its environmental performance. The drilling activity at the Milnerton Beach will take place over the next two weeks with water starting to be added to the lagoon in early October. Thereafter, monitoring and evaluation intervention will take place over a six-month trial where water quality, environmental conditions and the technical performance of the system will be closely monitored.
‘The information gathered will provide the City with evidence to determine whether the project should continue, be modified or be discontinued. We ask that beachgoers please avoid the work areas and thank you for your patience over the next two weeks,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The City will continue to work with affected stakeholders, including the Milnerton Golf Club and Sunset Links Homeowners Association, as the project progresses. Construction activities will be managed in accordance with the applicable environmental requirements and approved Environmental Method Statement.
The Beach Wells Project is being implemented in terms of the requirements of the Section 28(4) Directive issued under the National Environmental Management Act and will include environmental monitoring, reporting and oversight throughout the trial.
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