Update

WILDERNESS NEWS - The water supply status in Wilderness remains the same; consumers of Wilderness are experiencing low water pressure issues with areas of Wilderness Heights having no water at all.

The Civil Engineering Directorate has today continued with analysis of the system to put in place the intermittent supply of water to all areas of Wilderness Ward 4 (Hoekwil, Kleinkrantz, Kleinkrantz Farms, Pine Dew, Touwsranten, Wilderness, Wilderness Heights, The Dunes, and a portion of Drie Valleyen.)

The intention is to balance the system by alternating supply to the reservoirs serving the Wilderness and Touwsranten areas, thereby allowing all areas of Ward 4 as listed above to have access to water - albeit at low pressure - for the duration of the repair. 

The alternating of the supply to fill the reservoirs will take place during low peak times (mid-morning / mid-afternoon and during the night).

However in order for this to work it is imperative that all consumers in Ward 4 please keep water consumption to a minimum to allow water to be distributed throughout the entire system and note that during the low peak times when water is being pumped to fill reservoirs, areas that now have water may experience low water pressure or no water.

UPDATE ON REPAIR PLANNING AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

All roleplayers and engineers today investigated the access routes to the railway bridge and have completed their final assessment of the safety requirements that need to be put in place before the repair work can begin. The safety measures need to be put in place along the access pathways from Victoria Bay, the railway line along the bridge and the walkway on the bridge before the service provider completing the repairs can be allowed onto the site.

The timeline for this repair project remains at 10 days ( 10 – 19 October 2019) due to the safety precautions that need to be adhered to, the specialist skills required, as well as the necessity to only work during daylight hours, again for safety reasons.

INTERIM WATER SUPPLY

The interim water supply measures of three water trucks for Wilderness Heights remain in place and are available daily from 6 – 9pm for consumers to collect water. The water trucks remain stationed at the Wilderness Heights shop, on the corner of Silver and Whites Roads and at Remskoen Road for consumers to collect water with their own containers. Please note these water trucks do need to refill at times so if they are not seen, they will return.

SAFE STORAGE OF WATER

If storing water in open containers please ensure that it is kept in a cold location or fridge. Use an open container within 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, 1 to 2 days in a cold room, or a few hours in a warm room. After that, purify the remaining water again by boiling it. It is safer to store water in closed containers.

George Municipality apologises for the inconvenience and assures the public that the repair efforts are being expedited as quickly as is possible given the difficult location of the failure and all safety concerns having to be addressed.

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