Cape Town tap water quality earns excellent rating in latest report

Cape Town residents can take reassurance from the latest municipal water quality report, which confirms that the city’s drinking water continues to meet excellent standards, Cape {town} Etc reports.

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate released its annual report covering the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. The findings show that water samples collected across all 11 assessed supply systems passed the applicable drinking water quality assessments.

Behind the results is a monitoring programme that follows water from treatment plants through the reservoirs and pipelines that deliver it to homes and businesses across the Mother City.

How Cape Town checks its tap water

Keeping drinking water safe involves more than treating water before it leaves a purification plant. The City conducts regular testing throughout the supply network to monitor its quality as it travels towards residents’ taps.

Water collected from dams is purified at 12 treatment plants across the city. Each facility has an on-site laboratory where drinking water is tested every two hours, every day of the year.

The monitoring process also extends beyond the treatment plants. Scientific Services teams collect approximately 200 drinking water samples each week from different sampling points across the city’s supply network.

These checks cover physical, chemical and microbiological properties, helping officials assess whether the water meets the required standards.

What the latest report means for residents

The results are assessed against the South African National Standard for drinking water, known as SANS 241:2015. This standard provides the requirements used to evaluate drinking water quality and its suitability for human consumption.

According to the City, the municipal supply passed the applicable water quality assessments across all 11 systems included in the report.

Cape Town’s water infrastructure stretches across approximately 10 800 kilometres of pumps, reservoirs and pipelines. Maintaining water quality across such an extensive network requires regular testing, skilled staff and ongoing infrastructure maintenance.

The City says sustaining these standards will remain important as Cape Town grows and faces increasing climate pressures.

Maintaining water quality remains a priority

Alderman Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, said maintaining excellent drinking water quality depends on consistent leadership, skilled personnel and continued investment throughout the supply system.

He highlighted the contribution of the staff responsible for treating, testing and monitoring water, from the treatment plants to the taps of residents.

The City also plans to continue investing in modern treatment processes, scientific monitoring, infrastructure maintenance and staff skills to help protect the quality and security of the municipal water supply.

Badroodien emphasised the importance of making water quality information accessible to the public, encouraging residents to read the annual report and familiarise themselves with the findings.

Where to find Cape Town’s water quality results

Residents who want to learn more about their municipal water supply can consult the City’s annual report and quarterly tap water quality reports online.

Monthly water quality updates are also available through the National Department of Water and Sanitation’s My Water information portal.

The City further provides information about its water quality assurance processes through an educational video.

With regular testing taking place throughout the year, the latest report offers residents an overview of how Cape Town monitors the water supplied to communities across the city.

Where to find more information:

• Annual and quarterly reports:

  City of Cape Town’s

  water quality webpage

  .

• Monthly updates:

  National Department of Water and Sanitation’s

  My Water information portal

  .

• Water quality assurance:

  Watch the City’s educational video

  .

---

Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!

---

Also read:

Western Cape municipalities urged to introduce Level 1 water restrictions

**Picture: **Bluewater Sweden / Unsplash

The post Cape Town tap water quality earns excellent rating in latest report appeared first on Cape Town ETC.