Concerns over falling Garden Route Dam level

The falling water level of the Garden Route Dam, week after week since May, and weather predictions of low rainfall and higher-than-usual spring and summer temperatures are stirring unease among those who experienced the harsh 2010 drought.

- Alida de Beer

In June of that year, the level had dropped to below 20%. That was before the dam had 2 500 000m3 of capacity added through the raising of the spillway.

George Municipality's current extension of the water treatment infrastructure to the tune of about half a billion rand is reassuring, says the Garden Route Dam Action Group's chairperson, Desireé du Preez, but concerns remain about where the raw water will be coming from to supply in the growing demand.

The city currently supplies potable water to more than 294 942 residents and the average daily demand for August up to 6 September was 38Ml/day.

According to Jannie Koegelenberg, director of Civil Engineering Services, the average daily demand for August 2015 was 29.29Ml/ day, reflecting growth in consumption over the past decade in line with population growth. The upgrades of the water treatment works is upping treatment capacity to 60Ml/ day.