Water Conservation and Demand Management interventions

The National Water Act (Section 2(h) (iii)) requires WSAs to prepare water conservation and water demand management strategies in order to achieve more efficient use of water. Many of the elements of such a strategy are part of the WSDP requirements. The WSDP identifies the following as key activities that could be embarked on to ensure more efficient use of water:

♦ Water resource management

♦ Distribution management

♦ Consumer / end user demand management

♦ Effluent / return flow management

The implementation of water conservation and water demand management strategies do not only refer to measures that reduce water wastage and inefficient use, but also include measures to effectively manage and sustain efficiency targets. Some of the priority requirements are to install systems that measure and

identify certain key parameters such as minimum night flows and systems to enable detailed and regular water audits and water balances.

The Water Conservation and Demand Management Strategy should address the following main water conservation issues:

♦ Water Loss Control programme

♦ Asset Operations and Maintenance programme

♦ Catchment erosion prevention and mitigation programme

♦ Management and rehabilitation of wetlands programme

♦ Alien vegetation removal programme

♦ Accounting and Cost Recovery systems improvement programme

♦ Capacity building programme

♦ Public Information and consumer education programme

♦ Development of bylaws that will support the sustainable management of all water and sewage related resources

♦ Institutional arrangement establishment

Water resource planning and the implementation of augmentation options is a DWAF competency, although JGDM is responsible to implement and manage water use and reuse initiatives. Therefore the strategies of JGDM in this regard are the following:

♦ Verify the yields of all surface water sources and yields of all boreholes.

♦ Compile maintenance plans for all surface water and groundwater sources.

♦ Compile maintenance plans

♦ Conduct dam safety inspections.

♦ Compile dam operating rules for all surface water sources.

♦ Establish a comprehensive groundwater monitoring plan for the monitoring of water levels and groundwater quality – rural and urban

♦ Introduce pollution awareness, leak and meter repair programmes

♦ Improve water resources information to assist in the preparation of a water balance.

♦ Ensue licensing of all wastewater treatment works.

Quaternary Catchment Areas across the JGDM area are shown in figure 16 below.

Figure 16: Quaternary Catchment Areas

Studies conducted show that within five years all the major towns in the JGDM will have access to surface water and thus the groundwater will be used to augment the water supply. Water supply to the rural areas of the JGDM (Senqu and Elundini) will be served by groundwater sources and this will be a trend for other towns. Schemes will be mostly stand alone scheme and separated.

Mechanisms to monitor borehole levels are currently not in place. A pilot study is planned for Lady Grey that includes the installation of a telemetry system that will allow for the monitoring of the boreholes around the town. A pilot study was conducted in the Sterkspruit area that focussed on groundwater monitoring in the rural context. This approach should be extended to all the rural groundwater schemes.

A comprehensive groundwater monitoring plan is currently being developed in partnership with DWA with the objective of addressing the weaknesses in groundwater monitoring in the Eastern Cape. The outcome of this project will be incorporated into the JGDM’s water monitoring programme.

The District is currently finalising a review of the WSDP and this process should identify the required strategic decisions in terms of the following:

♦ Capability of the river systems in JGDM to accommodate more dams

♦ Monitoring of groundwater levels and water quality

♦ Ensuring of water use efficiency by the end users

♦ Quality of effluent discharge from wastewater treatment works into natural streams are not measured and do not comply to special or general standards limits.

♦ Address poor sanitation conditions in rural areas.

♦ Introduce adequate catchment management plans.

♦ Proper management of solid waste facilities lacking.

♦ Improve quality of treated water focusing on the following factors:

o Condition of water treatment plants.

o Quality of operators responsible to operate water treatment plants.

o Adequate supervision of maintenance and operational staff to manage and maintain infrastructure.

o Improved management of reticulation reservoirs o Improve health conditions around communal taps.

It is proposed that the focus of the future goals and strategies should be structured around a consistent effort to address some of the failings identified by the Blue and Green Drop Assessments. The goals in terms of water quality within the respective rivers within the JGDM are the following:

♦ All discharges from the respective wastewater treatment works within the JGDM to comply with general or special standards, as required in terms of their permitted use.

♦ All rural households to be provided with rural sanitation facilities and appropriate services on an ongoing basis.

♦ Improve levels of communication to residents during times of poor water quality.

Wastewater schemes are currently restricted to the urban centres with isolated schemes restricted to the rural areas being restricted to a few local “hospital” schemes. This is influenced by limited water supply and affordability constraints in the rural areas. The current performance of the urban wastewater treatment plants at Mount Frere, Cederville, Matatiele and Mount Ayliff is not satisfactory. If the trend of dysfunction that has been identified in the Green Drop Assessment continues then the situation for wastewater quality, community health and the general environment will be compromised. The Green Drop Assessment does however represent an opportunity in that it specifies goals and criteria that could be used as the basis of an “action plan” to address gaps in the sector.