Mangaung Metro Municipality Gariep Dam Gariep Dam
The challenge with bulk supply is that it takes years of planning , lead time , political will , and significant capital outlay to bring it into fruition .
One of the solutions proposed to address Bloemfontein ’ s imminent water crisis is the construction of a pipeline from Gariep Dam to Bloemfontein .
Mangaung Metro Municipality
The ageing Maselspoort Water Treatment Works is being upgraded with new technology to ensure improved quality drinking water to Bloemfontein .
of high siltation rates . The minimal storage capacity of the Welbedacht Dam implies that the Tienfontein pumps must operate at a high reliability on a run-of-river basis to supply the Knellpoort Dam .
The current pumps have a total discharge of approximately 2.5m 3 / s ( designed for 3m 3 / s ) and have experienced high maintenance costs because of fine debris and sediment that reach the pumps — a direct outcome of the silted dam .
Tienfontein Pump Station is seen as the most critical component of the water supply infrastructure supplying Bloemfontein with raw water , as the water utility receives 70 % of its water supply from the silted Welbedacht Dam ( via Tienfontein Pump Station and Knellpoort Dam ).
The incremental growth in demand as the population expands , coupled with ageing infrastructure and severe supply challenges stemming from the silted Welbedacht Dam in the Caledon River and the smaller Knellpoort and Rustfontein dams in the Modder River , highlight the indisputable need for long-term supply solutions .
Short-term demand addressed within municipality
The DWS compiled a Water reconciliation strategy study for the large bulk water supply systems : greater Bloemfontein Area to investigate the balance between water supply and demand for the metro for the next 20 years .
The report highlighted the need for several short-term upgrades of Bloem Water ’ s existing Welbedacht and Knellpoort / Rustfontein systems .
In addition , the report identified three long-term priority areas : high water losses in the MMM ’ s water distribution system , the possible re-use of water by the networking contributor tech news industry environment infrastructure municipalities
Water Sewage & Effluent March / April 2017 15