By Tshepiso Mogotsi
THE city's environmental planning department conducted tests on the water in Westdene dam over the weekend, following the discovery of dead fish in the dam.
Health officials in the city have appealed to the public not to eat fish taken from the dam as this could pose a health risk.
According to Aletta Suping, spokesperson for the city, the fish died after oxygen levels dropped in the water, which is a common occurrence at this time of the year.
"This happens twice a year as the seasons change from summer to autumn and winter to spring. There is no negative impact on the dam itself," Suping said.
A sample of water submitted to Cydna Laboratory, suggested that dissolved oxygen levels in the water was the primary cause of the death.
Attempts were made over the weekend to restore oxygen level by using an aerator, a pump that sprays water up to create oxygen.
However, said Suping, a long-term solution would be to bio-augment the dam - a process that involves adding natural macronutrients to stimulate the emission of oxygen from natural organisms in the lake.
