Beaufort West Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa – South Africa’s first implementation of direct potable reuse
Beaufort West is situation in the heart of the Great Karoo, and is renowned for its vast landscapes, beautiful wildlife and rich history. It was the first town in South Africa to be proclaimed a Municipality and was the first direct water reclamation plant in South Africa. Beaufort West’s water supply situation is difficult as it has no perennial rivers in the surrounding area, and water supply is heavily reliant on rainfall. The two main sources of water are surface runoff captured in the Gamka and Springfontein Dams, and borehole water. Drought is inevitable. During the 2010 drought, both dams and 50% of the boreholes dried up.
The Municipality embarked on a short, medium and long term strategy to secure the water supply. This included demand management, water restrictions and managing losses; further groundwater exploration and water reclamation. The long-term strategy was to develop a field of boreholes out of town. The Municipality sought tenders to design, build and operate the water reclamation plant, the tender went to Water and Wastewater Engineering.
During the development of the plant a lot of emphasis was placed on informing all communities about the proposed plant. From the outset it was clearly stated that treated effluent would be further treated and used for drinking water. Newspaper articles were published, leaflets were handed out door to door, and during community meetings the proposal was discussed and questions answered transparently. No major objections were received from the public.
Construction of the plant began at the height of the drought, and the first reclaimed water was delivered on 15 January 2011. There was some initial public scepticism, but a comprehensive awareness campaign was launch with various groups and scholars visiting the plant. Today the people of Beaufort West are proud of their plant and no objections are received from the community. Education campaigns continue, mainly for scholars, with tours and letting people taste, touch and smell 100% reclaimed water – this has been very successful. The test results are also published in the local newspaper. The plant delivers water that meets national standards, unlocking a significant water source that has historically been overlooked or underutilised.