Cape Town may be subjected to water restrictions this summer because August and September are likely to be drier than usual, a climate researcher has warned.

Predicted below average rainfall will bring water [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 17 Aug 2011

Cape Town may be subjected to water restrictions this summer because August and September are likely to be drier than usual, a climate researcher has warned.

Predicted below average rainfall will bring water restrictions

Peter Johnston, of UCT’s Climate Systems Analysis Group, said there was no need for desperate concern just yet – but this could change if no more winter rain fell.

Traditionally, the province’s dams are full in August and September. However, Johnston said, after the driest July in years, and with below average rainfall predicted for this and next month, water restrictions could become necessary.

The provincial government has urged farmers to store water for the summer months.

Johnston’s colleague, Mark Tadross, said a high pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean was keeping storms away from the Western Cape. “We don’t know why (this is happening),” said Tadross. “Of concern is that the dams are well below what they should be (at) this time of the year.”

The regional manager for weather services in the Western and Northern Cape, Antarctica and islands, Johan Stander, said the forecast was dry for the next couple of months. “Because of climate change, adverse conditions will happen more frequently and storms will be more severe.”

Wouter Kriel, the spokesman for Agriculture, and Rural Development MEC Gerrit van Rensburg said:

“We are monitoring the rainfall, but there are no red flags yet. We are advising farmers to fill up their water storage facilities.”

Source: IOL

Cape Town is located in a water scarce region with a high demand and usage during the summer months.

It is not legal to send rainwater via a gully to sewer

“The City’s [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 13 April 2011

Cape Town is located in a water scarce region with a high demand and usage during the summer months.

It is not legal to send rainwater via a gully to sewer

“The City’s amended Water By-Law, promulgated on 18 February 2011, provides an opportunity for the City to be pro-active and introduce water conservation and demand management measures to ensure sustainability of the water supply to its consumers,” says the City’s Director for Water and Sanitation, Philemon Mashoko.

All requirements of the Water By-law must be complied with as from the promulgation date.

One of the most important changes to the by-law is that a Certificate of Compliance of water installations must be obtained and submitted to the City upon the transfer of any property to a new owner. This applies to domestic, commercial and industrial properties and includes sectional title units.

A suitably qualified and accredited plumber in terms of the South African Qualifications Authority, must certify that:

• the hot water cylinder complies with SANS 10252 and 10254
• the water meter registers
• there are no water leaks on the property
• water pipes and terminal fittings are correctly fixed in position
• no stormwater is discharged into the sewerage system
• there is no cross connection between the potable supply and any grey water or groundwater system which may be installed

The conveyancer, on behalf of the seller/owner, needs to submit the completed and signed form via e-mail to CertificateOfCompliance@capetown.gov.za. The system will not delay the issuing of rates and taxes clearances by the municipality.

For more information call Danie Klopper on 021 590 1488 or click here and look under the ‘policies, laws and by-laws’ tab to view the amended Water By-laws and Certificate of Compliance document.

Source: City of Cape Town

In the early 1990s water conservation pioneer, Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor, was dedicated to bringing water conservation to the residential home and business.

Saving water with Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems

In 1995 his efforts were [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 03 April 2011

In the early 1990s water conservation pioneer, Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor, was dedicated to bringing water conservation to the residential home and business.

Saving water with Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems

In 1995 his efforts were rewarded with a WWF Green Trust Award for water conservation.

Today Water Rhapsody is a national concern with 25 outlets that provide professional advice on how water conservation can be introduced to your home or business.

With over 3000 installations Water Rhapsody can clearly state that they are the leaders in water conservation.

Water Rhapsody systems include:

1.       Garden Rhapsody (grey water) for garden irrigation or toilet flushing;
2.       Grand Opus – a rainwater harvesting solution for the home that augments municipal supply;
3.       Rainwater Harvesting for garden irrigation, pool top-up, washing cars, etc.;
4.       Poolside Tank to safely clarify swimming pool backwash water and return this to the pool;
5.       Multi Flush where the least amount of water is used to clear the toilet pan;
6.       Poseidon systems for recycling of mild industrial wastewater, car washing, machine washing, industrial laundry and irrigation.

To learn more about these systems click on the links above.

“South Africa needs to be more sensible about the use and management of land and water resources. The more we reduce the ecosystems’ ability to deliver clean fresh water, the less water secure we [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 March 2011

“South Africa needs to be more sensible about the use and management of land and water resources. The more we reduce the ecosystems’ ability to deliver clean fresh water, the less water secure we will be and the greater the cost we will have to pay for our water,” says Mark Botha, Head of WWF’s conservation programmes.

We need to concentrate more of our efforts on catchment security. Photo by: Peter Chadwick

This week (20-27 March) marks South Africa’s National Water Week 2011, and the theme for this year is, “Water for cities: addressing the urban water challenge.”

“Many South Africans, especially those living in urban areas do not have a full understanding of where the water that flows from their taps really comes from, and the key role clean catchments play in providing it,” says Botha.

“Cape Town has run out of water many times in the last century. Each time an expensive “supply side” solution was found to buy us more time, but always at a cost. Now, with augmentation (further water supply) options rapidly diminishing, we’re finding that the biggest cost of dams is the complacency that they leave us with as ratepayers.”

“At some point, we need to realise that we cannot only continue building more dams and other water infrastructure, but that it is imperative to invest in the natural resources that we already have. We need to concentrate more of our efforts on catchment security,” says Botha.

According to Botha, catchment security is about the sound ecological management of our water generating infrastructure – not the dams, works and pipes that bring the liquid to our houses – but the catchments, wetlands and rivers that bring it to our dams and farms reasonably clean.

“We invest substantially in the concrete, steel and pumping systems, but hardly anything in our ecological infrastructure – the ratio has to be at least in the order of ten thousand to one,” says Botha.

WWF recognises the need for man-made water infrastructure; however it believes that without healthy freshwater ecosystems this infrastructure may be rendered useless. To illustrate, it appears that the much-touted desalination plants built in haste at great expense in the southern Cape in 2009/10 are hamstrung by ecological water constraints. As many as two of the four have already been shut down due to insufficient water availability. At the same time, the mountain catchments in the Garden Route are being over-run by invasive plants, and clearing efforts are not even holding them at current infestations. If the costs of the desalination plants (estimated to be around R35 million) had been routed into securing the ecological integrity of the catchments, the people of Plettenberg Bay may have not experienced water shortages last summer.

WWF, through the WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership works to conserve and ensure the healthy functioning of South Africa’s important freshwater ecosystems through various interventions and thus contribute towards the country’s water security. The organisation works with the government, the private sector, academia and other partners to achieve this goal.

Source: WWF

Tens of thousands of migrants pouring into Cape Town are forcing authorities to rethink the city’s water supply strategy.

Migration growth is now "16 000 households per annum" at 5 people per household

The City of Cape Town will celebrate Arbor Month this year by planting six hundred and fourteen (614) trees in various events which will be held throughout Cape Town this month. Local Ward Councillors, [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 03 September 2010

The City of Cape Town will celebrate Arbor Month this year by planting six hundred and fourteen (614) trees in various events which will be held throughout Cape Town this month. Local Ward Councillors, businesses, schools and communities will all work together to uphold this year’s theme: Plant for the planet – Grow green.

Acacia xanthophloea or Fever Tree. Early pioneers associated this tree with malaria fevers.

“The tree-planting activities form part of the City’s commitment to promoting a healthy environment and beautifying Cape Town. Arbor Month also presents an ideal opportunity for raising awareness about the importance of planting indigenous trees,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, Councillor Brett Herron.

Residents will also notice an increase in the numbers of the official tree of the year, the Fever tree (Acacia xanthophloea) being planted. In addition the City will be planting this year’s uncommon trees of the year, the Cape Garenia (Rothmania capensis), Bell gardenia (Rothmannia globosa), and Tonga-kerrie (Cladostemon kirkii), along with various indigenous tree species.

The City Parks Department recently completed a comprehensive Greening Strategy which will be used as a guide for the next five to ten years. This strategy seeks to provide, improve and enhance the value of green spaces and the environment in a qualitative and sustainable manner:

• For the use of passive and active recreation and social activities
• To contribute aesthetic value to the urban landscape and
• To address the effects of global warming

“Residents are encouraged to get into the spirit of Arbor Month and play their part – however big or small it may be – in greening our city. We urge residents to plant trees or shrubs in their gardens and help raise awareness about the importance of appreciating and giving back to the natural environment,” said Councillor Herron.

Similar greening events will follow this month, and some of the highlights include:

Thambo Village
Councillor Herron will host an Arbor Day event at Thambo Village in Gugulethu on 09 September. The City will plant an avenue of 100 indigenous trees (Ficus natalensis, rubignosa) on the greenbelt in Silverstream Road to create a landscape feature.

“The avenue of trees in Thambo Village is part of City Parks’ environmental transformation, which seeks to turn the sandy Cape Flats into a green, leafy suburb. In the years to come, residents of Thambo Village and neighbouring Manenberg will have an opportunity to sit under the shade of these trees in the hot summer months,” said Councillor Herron.

Kraaifontein Civic Centre
The City will plant twenty (20) trees at the Kraaifontein Civic Centre with the help of school children from the area on 10 September. Fever trees and other indigenous trees such as Ficus natalensis, rubignosa, Rhus pendulina, and Ceratonia siliqua will be planted – all of which are all well suited to the soil in the area.

World Parks Day
City Parks will partner with the Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department to celebrate World Parks Day on 18 September. The various departments will conduct clean-up campaigns and plant trees in local parks. In addition, the City will circulate leaflets, posters and a calendar of events to local libraries to help raise awareness about the importance of trees and preserving the environment.

City exhibit at Sunday Tribune Garden and Leisure Show
The City of Cape Town will be exhibiting at the Sunday Tribune Garden and Leisure Show in Pietermaritzburg from 24 – 26 September. The exhibit showcases simple ways to green space by using recycled material and demonstrates techniques for maximising space by planting vertically, thereby conserving and enhancing the environment.

Issued by: Communication Department
Source: City of Cape Town

Many people believe that the electricity crisis will pale into insignificance relative to the water shortage that will hit the country – and particularly the Western Cape – in the coming years and decades.

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 13 July 2010

Many people believe that the electricity crisis will pale into insignificance relative to the water shortage that will hit the country – and particularly the Western Cape – in the coming years and decades.

Continued urban densification will provide water supply and financial challenges.

Against this background, concerned Cape Town citizens are naturally anxious about the City’s continued densification programme, expansion of the urban edge and construction of water-consuming developments.

For its part, the Department of Water Affairs’ “Western Cape Water Reconciliation Strategy” newsletter notes as follows:

“In the past, various interventions were implemented to curb the volume of water required by the people in Cape Town. Droughts, water restrictions etc. all played a role in reducing water demand since the year 2000. This meant that Cape Town would still be able to rely on its existing water resources for quite some years.

“In March 2010, during a meeting of the Strategy Steering Committee (SSC) representing all role-players involved in water-related aspects in and around Cape Town, it became clear that the City of Cape Town may NOT able to meet the required decrease in water required.

“Although the reasons for this are being investigated at the moment, there is a concern about the City’s water requirements which are following the high water requirement curve. Should this growth continue, the decision on which augmentation intervention to implement will have to be made in September 2012. Possible water supply options may need to be fast-tracked, providing challenges to planners and financial implications to water users.”

Source: RAHB
Read related article: Cape Town out of water by 2012

By 2012 Cape Town will be out of water.  This is not conjecture.

As early as 1995 Professor Bryan Davies, then Head of the fresh Water Research unit at UCT, predicted that Cape Town would [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 19 June 2010

By 2012 Cape Town will be out of water.  This is not conjecture.

As early as 1995 Professor Bryan Davies, then Head of the fresh Water Research unit at UCT, predicted that Cape Town would be dry by 2013.  Not bad from as far back as that.

Theewaterskloof is the biggest supply dam to Cape Town

Over the six past decades, there has been a drought cycle every six to seven years. The last time Cape Town was in a drought was 2004. I have watched this in Cape Town since 1965 when I can first remember the newspapers reporting the dam levels every day, and this has been the case to a greater or lesser extent for the past forty years.

We have always been able to augment further supply by building an additional dam, but not so anymore.  There is not another single place or any more river water that can possibly be found anywhere in the Western Cape for augmenting supply. The Western Cape is simply dammed out of water.  The rest of the country is in no better condition, so we cannot go looking elsewhere to steal this precious resource.

Two ways of augmenting supply to Cape Town have recently been mooted by the minister of DWA (Department of Water Affairs) Buyelwa Sonjica, viz. the desalination of sea water and pumping water out of the Table Mountain aquifer. Simply put, both of these augmentation systems are not sustainable, and should not and must not be pursued. The former is too energy hungry, and the latter means pumping fossil water from the TM aquifer. Clearly these are not options for a way of finding water for Cape Town.

What is studiously being ignored by Minister Sonjica is our ability to use less water, as well as ways to augment our own supply. Minister Sonjica will not be found encouraging citizens to harvest water; mainly because this would not mean any revenue for her department.

However for this to work, we need a few things to fall into place, which things will happen sooner than later.  These are:

• The inability of our city council to process sewerage.  This really is the case already with Cape Town City Council only able to process 65% of the effluent running to their sewerage treatment works. The rest of the semi and untreated sewerage runs into rivers etc.
• The inability of the Department of Water Affairs (the owners of the water in our dams) to meet the increasing demand for water for Cape Town from the rivers in the Western Cape.
• The inability of the City Council to make our drinking water potable.  In this regard, there are a burgeoning number of municipalities around South Africa who admit that they cannot clean the water in the pipelines to a drinkable standard.  Among other reasons for Cape Town is the growing number of informal settlements in our catchment areas. One only has to look at Hout Bay and the condition of the Disa River – the deadly condition of this water kills every living thing in the river and estuary.  The faecal coli (EC) numbers are 9 billion per 100 millilitres of water.  Unacceptable standards are any number higher than 350 per 100 ml.
• Realization by Cape Town City that there is simply not enough money budgeted in the near and distant future for sewage treatment.  We need 6 billion Rand right now to upgrade existing and build new sewage treatment works.  There is not more than 300 million (5% of the need) budgeted over the long term budget for the City to use for this purpose.
• Similarly realization that based on simple arithmetic how much water we will need by 2012.
• Drought. There is conclusive evidence that the Western Cape is being adversely affected by global warming.  The effect of this can be seen clearly today.  Until thirty years ago the character of winter was that it rained for weeks at a time, cleared up for a day or two, and rained for more weeks.  The rain patterns now see us getting one, two or three days of rain followed by a week or two of warm sunshine.  This means that every time it rains, the first ten or even twenty millimetres of rain are needed just to saturate the soil before any run off occurs.  The total number of millimetres of rain may very well be the same but the way it falls makes an enormous difference.  We simply get less run off these days.

What are we able to do about it?

We can augment our own supply.  We should harvest rainwater for using during the rainy season.

The system for this is the Water Rhapsody Grand Opus, which starts with the Water Rhapsody Rain Runner to harvest water from the whole of a roof.  The harvested rainwater is delivered by an unobtrusive underground pipeline around the building, called a ring main, to water tanks (of which there are a large number of different sizes available). Each Rain Runner from each downpipe tees into the ring main.

Rainwater tanks fill very quickly, but an overflowing rainwater tank is not very romantic, so Water Rhapsody plan cleverly to balance the inflow, volume stored and the amount required in the household.

Stored rainwater is then pumped to the whole household. In practice, the stored rainwater is able to sustain the number of people in an average home / business without any municipal feed for an entire rainfall season, and of course in Cape Town, this is in the winter season.

Capetonians use on average 240 litres per person per day, but by using the WWF award winning Water Rhapsody Systems of Conservation you get to use less water without changing your lifestyle. You will with these systems effectively reduce your daily water use from 240 litres to – at worst 120 litres per day. If you do this, stored rainwater will go much further, getting most householders to be completely “off the grid”. This is certainly true for the rain season, and most of the dry season too.  Getting “off the grid” is something we all aspire to, and if we can use all the systems as made and installed by Water Rhapsody, one gets as close to this magic point as is possible.

What we would have done in effect for DWEA and the Municipality without them appreciating us one bit, is to increase the stored water in the dams by a volume of water that is difficult to imagine. It is not just the stored water in one single filling that increases the volume in total, but the yield (which is the number of times the water tanks may be filled and drawn down), and then of course filled again. Should everyone through their own initiative install such a system to harvest, store, and use rainwater, this will make a total annual difference of more than 200 million kilolitres.

This is an amount that I am unable to imagine so for yours and my benefit I have created some analogies:

The volume of the total yield from all the water tanks (total number of times they are filled and drawn down) is the equivalent of more water than the total volume of the second biggest supply dam to Cape Town.  The biggest supply dam to Cape Town is Theewaterskloof near Villiersdorp which holds when full 480 million kilolitres, but not all that water is available for us to use.

Another analogy (bearing in mind the fact that the average use of water in Cape Town per household is 28 kilolitres per month), is saving a kilolitre or tonne of water per household per day.  Put this water into road water tankers and park them nose to tail, and these trucks would stretch from Cape Town to Johannesburg.  Over a whole season, these tankers would stretch around the world (at the equator nose to tail) ten times!

Yet another analogy is to imagine an Olympic sized swimming pool full of water.  The amount of water saved would fill 1350 of these pools per day.

Emergency supply. Yet another of the advantages of having rainwater tanks is that you create an emergency supply against future water outages.  Water outages are the very next way that our municipality will use to get us to use less water.  By having Water Rhapsody to install water tanks to harvest rainwater, for your benefit they will install an emergency supply fed from the municipality, which guarantees the householder of a continuous supply in spite of outages.

Water Rhapsody will provide something for all seasons.

Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor

Irrigation water is billed again as sanitation at 70% of water consumption

[click here to see tariff for 2011 - 2012]

The City of Cape Town water and sanitation tariff was approved [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 02 June 2010

Irrigation water is billed again as sanitation at 70% of water consumption

[click here to see tariff for 2011 - 2012]

The City of Cape Town water and sanitation tariff was approved by Council on 25 May 2010.

As with previous years, the domestic single residential sanitation tariff remains linked to the water tariff at a rate of 70% of water consumption (70% of 50kl = 35kl). This means that notwithstanding the volume of water that is used for garden irrigation, viz. water that is not sent to sewerage treatment, a charge is levied based on 70% of water consumption. (See notes below for domestic cluster** and industrial* / commercial* sanitation rates).

Domestic Tariff (single residential)

Water Tariff

Sanitation Tariff (at 70% of water consumption)

Other Tariff (excl Vat)

Notes:

*** Water: Includes bulk metered flats, cluster developments (single and sectional title). A 6kl allowance per unit per month upon submission of an affidavit stating the number of units.
** Sanitation – domestic cluster: Tariff at 90% of water consumption. A 4.20kl allowance per unit per month upon submission of an affidavit stating the number of units.
* Sanitation – industrial, commercial and schools: Tariff at 95% of water consumption.

The [Cape Town] city council will soon be asked to give the financial green light to a R1,7-billion, multi-year bulk water augmentation project.

Berg River Dam

A report discussed at the utility services portfolio [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 04 May 2010

The [Cape Town] city council will soon be asked to give the financial green light to a R1,7-billion, multi-year bulk water augmentation project.

Berg River Dam

A report discussed at the utility services portfolio committee yesterday notes that additional bulk water supply infrastructure has become critical, to increase the water treatment, bulk storage and conveyance capacity of the city’s bulk water supply system.

The total capital cost of the bulk water augmentation system is estimated at R1,7bn, and the implementation time frame at about six years.

In his budget speech in March, mayoral committee (Mayco) member for finance Ian Neilson said while the scheme would not significantly affect the 2010/11 financial year’s budget, a tariff increase, projected to be 8 percent above inflation, would need to be phased in in subsequent years.

The additional infrastructure was necessary to ensure the system could continue to supply potable water during peak demand periods, as population and economic growth fuelled demand.

“If the infrastructure is not implemented timeously, the risk of having to implement water restrictions in some areas of Cape Town, or across the entire city during peak water demand periods in the hot dry summer months, will progressively increase,” the report said.

At a meeting of the mayoral committee in 2005, the proposed scheme was identified as a key component of the city’s water services development plan.

But long-term funding approval has now become urgent, and the city council will be asked to recognise that allowance will have to be made for the project in the city’s budget for the next six years.

Bulk Water manager Peter Flower noted in yesterday’s report that he needed to “reinforce the urgent need to finalise the funding mechanism in order that the early stages of the project will not be compromised, resulting in delays in final implementation”.

Flower told the Cape Argus that it was critical that the project now be accommodated in the city’s long-term budget planning, and that it not be pushed back another year.

It was essential for long-term planning and to ensure the city’s water supply, as well as to ensure minimal impact in terms of tariff spikes.

Meanwhile, the city yesterday announced a R538m up-grade of the metropole’s electricity network in the coming financial year.

“The city is following a proactive maintenance and replacement programme to avoid any Eskom-type crises,” Mayco member for utility services Clive Justus said, adding that it was essential for the city to timeously replace and maintain its equipment and infrastructure.

He said maintenance and repair this year received priority spending, with a 3 percent allocation above inflation.

The more than R0.5bn allocation would provide for the commencement of upgrades of substations at Rosmead Avenue, Roggebaai, Strand, Oakdale, Langeberg, Retreat and Parow South.

A new substation would also be built to serve Century City.

“All these upgrades will reduce the risk of power failures,” Justus said, adding that a further R80m would provide for new service connections and associated infrastructure, while R58m was set aside to address the augmentation of the overall system.

- Ella Smook – iol