Cape Town has hit a significant milestone in its efforts to restore Zeekoevlei, as dredging operations transition from Storm Bay to Home Bay. This marks the first such operation at Zeekoevlei in over four decades, with the project kicking off in June 2025. Over the past year, more than 207,000 cubic meters of sediment have been successfully removed from Storm Bay.
The restoration project is now set to advance to Home Bay, with plans to extract an additional 157,000 cubic meters of sediment over the coming 10 months. City officials emphasize that the dredging initiative aims to enhance water quality and rejuvenate the vlei’s ecosystem by eliminating decades’ worth of sediment build-up and excess nutrients, which have contributed to environmental decline.
Eddie Andrews highlighted the significance of this undertaking as a pivotal component of the city’s long-term strategy to safeguard and revitalize essential water bodies and natural ecosystems. The relocation of dredging equipment was a complex task, entailing the installation of an extra two kilometers of pipeline and the movement of heavy mooring blocks across the water.
The operation involves transporting the dredged sediment through a 6.3-kilometer slurry pipeline to dewatering ponds, where it undergoes drying and storage. The City of Cape Town remains committed to closely monitoring progress through regular hydrographic surveys, with the full restoration project anticipated to conclude by early 2027.