This research focuses on the pathogenic pollution of coastal recreational waters. Pollution of this resource can have serious social and economic implications. The health of the public could be compromised and there may be associated adverse impacts on the tourism industry. A section of coastline along the Durban Bight and including some of the nation's premier bathing beaches, was used for a case study. The water quality condition of the beaches was evaluated against both local and international marine recreational water quality standards. Most of Durban's bathing beaches were found to have good water quality. However beaches situated close to stormwater drains regularly experience poor water quality conditions. The relationships between beach water quality, the pollution sources and environmental factors such as rainfall were quantified. A weak correlation was found between rainfall and beach pathogenic pollution levels. No correlation was found between successive fortnightly beach samples indicating that the time scales of coastal dispersion processes are significantly shorter than the beach monitoring period. The research also indicates a need to update the SA marine water quality standards. The exclusive use of Escherichia coli (E.coli) as the indicator of faecal pollution is inconsistent with international trends towards the use of Enterococcus, which is a more robust pathogen indicator for marine environments. The main aim of the research was to develop a model to predict the water quality conditions of beaches. The Coastal Water Quality Model (CWQM) is intended to serve two functions: firstly to provide daily estimates of pathogenic pollution levels for beach management (e.g. closure under poor water quality conditions), and secondly to provide decision-makers with a tool for predicting the effects of changes on future water quality conditions. The CWQM was formulated as a stochastic state-space lumped advection diffusion model. A Kalman Filter was used for state estimation. Parameter estimation using the Extended Kalman filter was investigated but found to be unsatisfactory due to large input uncertainties and sparse measurements. An alternative statistical fitting procedure was therefore used for parameter estimation. The model was shown to produce accurate predictions of pathogenic pollution for the case study site. To further demonstrate it's utility. it was used to evaluate options for improving the poor water quality at Battery Beach. The results show that a constructed wetland could be effective in this case. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Natal, 2003.

Previously, issues concerning the use and conservation of the natural resources were restricted to certain groups of individuals, normally those considered to be scientific experts. However with the emergence of sustainable development and the adoption of its principles therein, there has been increased community concern over environmental quality issues resulting in pressure for transparency in environmental decision-making processes. The result has been a dramatic expansion in the number of organisations at the local, national and global scales committed to environmental improvement. This in turn has let to dramatic changes in the role of the public in decisions relating to natural resource management. Participatory development is now acknowledged as critical in achieving sound environmental management. The initiation of community-based environmental decision-making has led to the formation of new and interesting partnerships. Environmentalists, communities, policy makers and business people have begun to work together in an attempt to find consensus concernIng environmental problems and related socio-economic inequalities. This has resulted in the development of new ways of integrating local and scientific knowledge systems. This thesis illustrates community-based environmental decision-making in the management of the use of the south coast of Durban. It outlines a partnership, through the formation of the Permit Advisory Panel (PAP), comprising industry (Sappi Saiccor), government, through its Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, environmental organisations, and the local people in the monitoring of the impacts of effluent produced by the industry and disposed of into the sea. The aim of this thesis is to develop an alternative methodology that will be acceptable to all stakeholders, for the collection and analysis of data in the monitoring of the Sappi Saiccor effluent. This was achieved through the following objectives: to develop a methodology for the collection and analysis of data, to assess the performance of the new pipeline in terms of reduced aesthetic impacts of the effluent, to assess the role of local knowledge in the monitoring process, and finally to assess the role of this study in the functioning of the PAP. This thesis attempts to integrate qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The subjective local data collected by the divers is analysed using statistical methods to assess the impacts of the effluent on marine water quality and the effect the new pipeline has had in reducing these impacts. Qualitative surveys such as questionnaires and interviews were administered to assess the role of local knowledge in the monitoring process and also to assess the role this study has had in the functioning of the PAP. The statistical analysis did not reveal any major improvement in underwater visibility since the pipeline was extended. There is a 6% and 4% improvement in the number of effluent days and visibility respectively. This however is due to some limitations inherent in the data collection process, and as a result the improvement brought about by the pipeline extension has been toned down. An effluent and visibility index is therefore recommended as an alternative method of data collection and analysis to reduce the level of inaccuracy. The role of local knowledge is perceived by many of the PAP members as vital in the monitoring process. This study was therefore thought of as an important step in validating this local knowledge such that it can be a reliable data source to be used in the monitoring process. It also played an important role in resolving the conflict between the PAP members. It is therefore recommended that the divers data should be continually used in the monitoring process, though the divers have to be more actively involved. The PAP is therefore tasked with liasing with the community members, especially the divers such that they can assume a more active and responsible role within the PAP. They should be involved in the development of the methods of data collection and analysis. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.