GEORGE NEWS - With a continued weekly drop in the water level of the Garden Route Dam and the seasonal weather outlook for the George area not favourable, George Municipality has coupled two boreholes to the raw water supply of the city.
The boreholes were drilled during the drought of 2009 / 2010. According to Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe, senior municipal communications officer, blow yield testing (pump testing) is currently being done on these boreholes and their capacity will in due course be determined.
George Herald reported in 2010 that about 10 boreholes were drilled back then. The first two delivered 4,5 litres per second (about 380 000 litres per day). The flow of the others were not released at the time.
According to Mangqwenqwe, when boreholes are drilled, drawdown tests are done, which were completed when these boreholes were developed in 2009/2010. “This is not an accurate reflection of the aquifer's potential. The tests we are currently conducting are the constant rate pumping test (yield test). We are currently pumping at a steady rate for several days to measure drawdown and recovery, providing data for the aquifer analysis.”
He said a further 10 boreholes are being monitored. These boreholes are situated in difficult terrain far from existing infrastructure.
“One needs to keep in mind that an electrical supply and interconnecting pipework are required, which require capital investment, and it should be considered that one is not assured of the aquifer's potential and borehole yield potential. Therefore, we are only monitoring at this stage. If we find that there is potential, we will equip some of the other boreholes as well.”
The boreholes are all on municipal property. Their locations will not be shared publicly as some of the boreholes were vandalised over the years, he said.
City's daily usage constant
The city’s usage is currently constant at 36 to 37 million litres per day. “Considering the town's growth and the demand being steady over the last few years, we can say that the water restrictions and implementation of water demand management measures are definitely making a difference.”
The water level of the Garden Route Dam was 46,63% as of Monday 22 December. A total of 4.2mm of rain was measured during the preceding seven days.
The figures for the previous three weeks were:
- 15 December: Dam level - 47.60 %. Rainfall - 36mm.
- 8 December: Dam level 47.65%. Rainfall - 9.8mm.
- 2 December: Dam level: 49,43%. Rainfall: 37.3mm
The municipality introduced severe water restrictions (Level 2C) on 4 December following the drop in the dam level below 50%. The influx of visitors during this time of year and it being fire season place additional pressure on the water supply.
In addition to these factors, the municipality also has to contend with incidents where water bought from municipal depots is being resold illegally, including for filling swimming pools, which is also prohibited under the current water restrictions.
Water provision plans
Concerns about water provision capacity in George were again aired in the past week by a George Herald reader. In a recently released comment on the water situation, George Municipal Manager Godfrey Louw said plans and policies for water infrastructure are in place. These include:
- Continuous implementation of water conservation and water demand management initiatives.
- Enforcement of water restrictions.
- Implementation of short- and medium-term groundwater exploration and development.
- The upgrading of the Ultra Filtration Plant to better align with international standards.
Annual audits
He also said data from the municipality’s Water Services Development Plan and Water Services Audit Report (submitted annually to the Department of Water and Sanitation) are utilised for planning purposes and future demand projections by the Directorate Civil Engineering Services.
Seasonal Climate Outlook
The South African Weather Services’ latest Seasonal Climate Outlook indicates a weak La Niña weather system over the country. Below normal rainfall and above-normal maximum temperatures are expected over the southwestern parts of the country for the 2025/26 summer season (December 2025 to April 2026).
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