Water Quality Guidelines
Learn more about The City of Cape Town's water testing standards.
The City of Cape Town runs a formal, structured coastal water quality monitoring programme covering its entire coastline (about 300 km).
This includes:
Fixed sampling sites: Over 100 sites are regularly monitored for indications of faecal contamination.
Sampling frequency: Occurs weekly at most sites, and twice a month and monthly at other sites.
The City of Cape Town also runs a number of research programmes including daily sampling at a number of sites. This helps deepen understanding of coastal dynamics in our city.
See below for an in-depth explanation of the different beach statuses the City of Cape Town may designate for its beaches based on recent sampling analysis.
Short-Term Classification
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Green Alert
Latest result is within National guideline thresholds.
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Amber Alert
The latest sample exceeds National guideline thresholds.
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Red Alert
This beach's waters have experienced two consecutive samples exceeding National guideline thresholds. Exercise caution until the next sampling result is established.
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Alert
Please take note of this special message concerning the beach you may want to visit.
Long-Term Classification
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Excellent
Long-term results suggest consistently good water quality and low health risk for swimming and recreational activity.
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Good
Long-term results suggest generally good water quality, with occasional elevated results.
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Sufficient
Long-term results meet the minimum guidelines for acceptable recreational use, but elevated results occur more often.
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Poor
Long-term results suggest the beach does not currently meet the guideline for acceptable recreational use.