Page 153 - Bulletin 18 2014

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English experts had addressed the sewerage problem some twenty-five years before but their

plans had not been implemented. They had proposed a sea outfall near the mouth of the Salt
River, but after considering this option, Lloyd-Davies rejected it in favour of a land-based

works situated on Council land at Athlone. As a cost-saving measure he decided not to use
the usual granite chips in the filter process, but instead decided to run the effluent over

branches of Port Jackson wattle which was so readily obtainable on the Cape Flats. This was
advanced technology for the time and became the subject of paper presented to the Institution

of Civil Engineers in London. The paper provoked considerable comment and criticism - but

his process operated successfully, and the wood filters worked successfully for about 15
years. The works have been upgraded several times and despite calls for their relocation still

play a major role in the city's treatment network.

Lloyd-Davies’ deputy, Mr Walter Houghton is credited with design and construction of the

sea wall on the Sea Point Beachfront and the park on the landward side. Was this perhaps
inspired by his superior by virtue of his experience with the promenade at Alexandria? This

facility, so well used today, was very controversial when it was built between 1928 and 1932.

Lloyd-Davies resigned due to ill health at the end of 1931 and returned to London, where he

died in 1932 aged 57. He was succeeded by Stanley Lunn, who, inevitably, was confronted
by ominous signs of further water shortages as the City and its outlying areas grew.

Further extensions to Cape Water Undertaking

Initially there was a problem with water quality. Steenbras water had a brownish tinge
produced by the fynbos through which the catchment streams flowed. During the Second

World War the imposing filtration plant was built on the mountain above Gordon’s Bay. This
required the construction of a 4 km long approach road, with a 1 in 12 gradient, running

upslope from the coastal Faure Drive beyond Gordon’s Bay. The road was constructed by the

Council and the plant buildings were designed in Art Deco style by the Council’s
Architectural Branch. War conditions delayed completion of the plant as many of the

mechanical components were imported from the UK. It was opened by the Mayor in 1946
and commenced operations in July 1947. Thereafter the water was crystal clear. (Figs. 3.34 –

3.37.)