The organiser of the weekend’s Midmar Mile annual swim has dismissed concerns over water quality‚ saying E.coli levels were the lowest in the country and he’s happy to drink the water at any point along the course.
“The water is perfectly safe to swim in‚” race organiser Wayne Riddin said in a statement on Wednesday.
He was reacting to fears following the Mpophomeni Wastewater Works spillage last year.
“The spill was on the other side of the dam [some 6km from the race course] and was contained.
“We have done extensive testing and the E.coli levels are in fact lower than any dam in the country — lower also than any of the previous events in the many years I have been involved.
“There is no way we as the organisers would place the health of thousands of entrants at risk.
“As the event organiser‚ I myself would be prepared to drink the water at any stage along the course.
“The Capital K event was successfully completed in December without incident or medical issues from swimmers. The race is going ahead as planned and we expect a phenomenal weekend of festivities as usual.”
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