The current water quality in the Pietermaritzburg area is:

Date	River	Area	E.coli level	Water Quality Rating
30/01/12	uMsunduzi	Camps Drift bridge	960
		Motocross weir	600

The current water quality in the Durban area is:

Date	River	Area	E.coli level	Water Quality Rating
03/02/12	uMngeni	Connaught bridge	2000
		Molweni	2500
		Kennedy Road	1500

                           

                  

Paddling is defined as a secondary contact sport and internationally the accepted safe level is 2 000 E.coli per 100ml. However, on the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers paddlers often paddle with higher E.coli levels without suffering any ill effects. In years when the quality of the Duzi has been 10 000 or lower, the incidence of “Duzi guts” during events such as the Dusi Canoe Marathon has been low. In years when it has been high (in the 20 000 to 100 000 range) due to major storms, the incidence of “Duzi guts” has been high (up to 50% of the paddlers being affected).