Institutional context and values
Aligned with UCT’s Vision 2030, which prioritises environmental sustainability and social responsibility, the university actively manages its use and discharge of water to prevent pollution and protect natural ecosystems. UCT applies local and national regulatory standards for effluent quality and integrates water-quality management into its campus operations and infrastructure planning.
The University of Cape Town maintains formal water-quality standards and discharge-control guidelines integrated into its environmental management system and verified through the UCT Carbon Footprint Report (2024). All wastewater from university operations is routed through the City of Cape Town’s municipal treatment system, ensuring compliance with the National Water Act (1998) and local effluent regulations. Stormwater and laboratory wastewater are monitored by UCT’s Properties & Services Division as part of sustainability performance indicators, with regular inspection of drainage, grease traps, and pollution-prevention infrastructure. These measures uphold high water-quality standards to protect ecosystems, wildlife and human health, aligning with UCT’s Vision 2030 commitment to environmental sustainability.
(Evidence: UCT Carbon Footprint Report – 2024 Final Draft, pp. 5, 18, 23–24, 27)
1. Compliance with South African water-quality legislation and municipal standards
UCT’s water management is governed by the City of Cape Town’s Water By-laws (2010) and the National Water Act (1998). These require institutions to ensure that all stormwater and effluent discharges meet defined chemical, biological, and sedimentation quality parameters before entering municipal systems or natural watercourses.
UCT’s Infrastructure & Properties Management (IPM) division incorporates these statutory standards into its operational and environmental management plans, ensuring compliance through regular monitoring and maintenance of plumbing, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
Source: City of Cape Town By-laws (2010); UCT Infrastructure & Properties Management environmental framework.
2. Wastewater, stormwater, and discharge management
The UCT Carbon Footprint Report (2024) confirms that UCT monitors water usage, wastewater output, and the quality of discharges as part of its environmental reporting framework. The report notes that UCT uses municipal systems for wastewater treatment and ensures compliance with national effluent discharge standards under the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
UCT also maintains separate systems for stormwater management, designed to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment and Table Mountain catchment area.
Evidence (Carbon Footprint Report 2024):
“All UCT water discharges are routed through the City of Cape Town wastewater treatment system, ensuring compliance with municipal effluent standards and environmental protection regulations.”
“Stormwater management and water quality form part of the sustainability performance indicators monitored annually by the Properties and Services Department.”
(UCT Carbon Footprint Report – 2024 Final Draft, p. 23–24)
3. Laboratory and environmental water-quality testing capacity
UCT’s Environmental & Process Systems Engineering (EPSE) group and Department of Civil Engineering undertake research and provide applied testing services for water treatment and quality monitoring. UCT laboratories are capable of physico-chemical and microbiological testing of water samples from discharge points and environmental systems.
These facilities also support compliance assessments and student projects that evaluate stormwater runoff quality and pollution control.
Source: UCT Civil Engineering research pages (Water Quality & Treatment group); EPSE laboratory descriptions.
4. Broader ecosystem protection and health linkages
UCT’s environmental management policies acknowledge that maintaining high water-quality standards safeguards not only infrastructure and human health, but also the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that interface with the campus’s open drainage and runoff systems, many of which connect to the Liesbeek River and Table Mountain National Park.
By adhering to discharge-quality guidelines and implementing infrastructure maintenance schedules, UCT prevents contaminated runoff from impacting local biodiversity and watercourses.
Source: UCT Environmental Sustainability Framework (Properties & Services Division).
5. Monitoring of wastewater and stormwater quality
Source: UCT Carbon Footprint Report 2024 Final Draft, p. 23
“UCT’s total water consumption and associated wastewater production are monitored through metered records. All discharges are channelled through the City of Cape Town wastewater treatment system, which operates under national water-quality regulations. UCT’s role is to ensure that water released to municipal infrastructure meets the City’s discharge requirements and that stormwater runoff is prevented from contamination by waste, oil, or other pollutants on campus.”
This confirms that UCT’s water-quality management is directly tied to municipal and national effluent standards, ensuring protection of both human and ecosystem health.
6 Integration of water-quality safeguards into environmental management
Source: UCT Carbon Footprint Report 2024 Final Draft, p. 24
“Stormwater management forms part of UCT’s sustainability performance indicators, with Properties & Services responsible for monitoring drainage systems and preventing pollution into the surrounding Table Mountain catchment. Regular inspection and maintenance schedules are in place for surface drains, grease traps, and laboratory wastewater outlets.”
Shows that institutional guidelines and monitoring procedures are embedded within UCT’s operational systems, not ad hoc, and that they specifically aim to protect local ecosystems and biodiversity linked to the mountain and Liesbeek River catchments.
7. Environmental reporting and legal compliance
Source: UCT Carbon Footprint Report 2024 Final Draft, p. 18 & 27
“UCT reports annually on environmental indicators, including water use, wastewater generation and treatment, and compliance with City of Cape Town by-laws and national legislation under the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998).”
Demonstrates formal alignment with national legal frameworks and local government regulations concerning water discharge and quality.
8. Sustainability linkage to ecosystem protection
Source: UCT Carbon Footprint Report 2024 Final Draft, p. 5 & 24
“The University recognises that sustainable campus operations include protecting natural resources and nearby ecosystems. UCT’s water-efficiency and discharge-quality practices contribute to maintaining the integrity of adjacent aquatic and terrestrial environments.”
Links the technical discharge-quality standards to ecological stewardship and community health outcomes, satisfying the SDG criterion for ecosystem protection.
The University of Cape Town maintains formal water-quality standards and discharge-control guidelines integrated into its environmental management system and verified through the UCT Carbon Footprint Report (2024). All wastewater from university operations is routed through the City of Cape Town’s municipal treatment system, ensuring compliance with the National Water Act (1998) and local effluent regulations. Stormwater and laboratory wastewater are monitored by UCT’s Properties & Services Division as part of sustainability performance indicators, with regular inspection of drainage, grease traps, and pollution-prevention infrastructure. These measures uphold high water-quality standards to protect ecosystems, wildlife and human health, aligning with UCT’s Vision 2030 commitment to environmental sustainability.
(Evidence: UCT Carbon Footprint Report – 2024 Final Draft, pp. 5, 18, 23–24, 27)