GEORGE NEWS - Water restrictions have been in place in George since the end of 2022 and will remain effective for now.

This is despite the city having experienced above average rainfall during 2023 which caused the Garden Route Dam overflowing several times.

In a recent statement George Municipality explains – as it has on numerous occasions throughout 2023 - that the main reason for persisting with restrictions is that water consumption exceeds supply.

The current peak water consumption across the George municipal area averages 42Ml per day, and this will increase in summer.

This exceeds the existing water treatment works’ maximum purifying capacity of of 38Ml (million litres) per day. Therefore all of our purified drinking water is consumed daily, leaving no spare capacity. 

“The fact that the demand for potable water exceeds the capacity of the current 70-year-old infrastructure, led Council to a decision on 14 December 2022 to put water restrictions in place, following the required public participation processes,” says communications chief Chantèl Edwards in the statement.

The situation is made worse by the persistent high levels of loadshedding that interrupt the purification pumps and processes, costing the municipality millions of rands in additional cost to run diesel generators.

Edwards says despite the above average rainfall in the first six months of 2023 that has kept the Garden Route Dam level high, this level is expected to reduce as the summer season progresses. However, the water restrictions are not related to the dam level.

“National Treasury has provided grant funding to expand the current water treatment works and related infrastructure. A new 20Ml per day extension to the existing water treatment works is under construction at a cost of approximately R520 million.

“This will increase the daily water purification capacity from 38 Ml to 58 Ml by early 2025.”
Temporary additional purification capacity is in place through the use of a package plant to mitigate the current situation while the construction works are still in progress.

“Therefore, water restrictions remain in place in order to reduce and manage the demand for potable (drinking) water notwithstanding the fact that South Africa is a water scarce country and that all residents should, as a general principle, use potable (drinking) water sparingly at all times,” says Edwards.

For the municipality’s water saving tips, visit https://www.george.gov.za/civil-engineering/water/water-saving-tips/

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