GEORGE NEWS -  In just two weeks, well before the end of July, 10 million litres (ML) of purified water will be pumped into the Garden Route Dam every day.
The water, emanating from the sewage purification plant in Pacaltsdorp, will compensate for close to 50% of the current daily consumption of 21 ML per day.

The high tech reclamation plant leading the sewage water through a labyrinth of ultra filtration membranes and intricate purifying processes is nearing completion and will ensure the water is free of any possible contaminants. For example, unwanted nutrients like nitrates and phosphates that cause algae growth are completely eliminated by the filters.
The R75-million project includes a 7,6km pipeline from the sewage works to the dam. Two balancing dams and a holding dam for the purified water have also been constructed.

High tech
The operation is at the forefront of water purification technology and an electric operating room at the heart of the project is the hub from where all the different machinations and processes are controlled.
Senior manager of Civil Engineering Services in George, Harold Basson, is a specialist in water management systems and under his leadership George has been awarded both Blue and Green Drop status by the department of water affairs.
He says the engineering department has the necessary skills and expertise to ensure that everything runs according to plan. "Water consumers can rest assured that their tap water is 100% safe to drink. We have a multitude of checks in place - right down the line.

"The municipality has to comply to SANS Standards and has achieved Blue Drop status during evaluations in 2009 and 2010. More monitoring checks are now incorporated to ensure that drinking water still complies to the standards after the introduction of the treated water."
According to Basson water re-use is the way forward. "In future all municipalities across the globe will be forced to recycle used water to be able to supply the growing demand."

Precision testing
Heading up the state of the art testing laboratory is Swastika Surujlal-Naicker. The facility recently acquired a UV spectrophotometer of R85 000, referred to by lab staff as the ‘black box’. Surujlal-Naicker says the ‘black box’ enables them to test for a wider range of pollutants than before.
"The DR5000 is top of the line and can address the immediate and future needs of the laboratory. It will aid us in better quality monitoring of the water emanating from the reclamation plant to the Garden Route Dam.
"One of the concerns of the people is the trihalomethanes (THMs) which form from the use of chlorine disinfection and organics in the water. The THMs can be carcinogenic.

We are now able to moni-tor this parameter and determine in conjunction with other chemical ana-lysis if the water is safe or not." A carbon activated process at the waterworks in Denneoord gets rid of harmful hormones.

At the moment the dam level is steady at 30,3% and water from the catchment area is still streaming in. The old Swart Ri-ver Dam upstream is almost full and also feeding the Garden Route Dam. If this trend continues and consumption stays low, the level of the dam should continue its upward motion for some time to come.

Article: Ilse Schoonraad


Swastika Surujlal-Naicker is keeping a well-trained eye on our water quality with the help of a new ‘black box’.