Water&Sanitation may/June 2013 by 3S Media

Think water, think WISA! T

Water& Sanitation

The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa T

Complete water resource and wastewater management

PANEL DISCUSSION Water quality in the spotlight

IN THE HOT SEAT

Africa

REGIONAL FOCUS Western Cape projects prioritised

Team members who function as active participants take th the initiative to help make things happen. Mpho Ramphao, water and wastewater engineer, Aurecon M May/June 2013 • ISSN 1990-8857 • Cover price R40.00 • Vol 8 No. 3

P18

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CONTENTS COVER STORY Here today, reused tomorrow WISA President’s message WISA celebrates National Water Week Divisional discourse Western Cape Process Controller’s Open Day YWP: A battle of the minds

8 10 12 14 16

ON THE COVER

Just as the archerfish has evolved innovative technology in reusing water to hunt its prey, Royal HaskoningDHV’s evolved water reuse expertise is today’s solution for a sustainable tomorrow.

HOT SEAT Mpho Ramphao, water and wastewater engineer at leading engineering, management and specialist technical services group Aurecon, weighs in on South Africa’s wastewater situation. 18 PANEL DISCUSSION To drink or not to drink? • Department of Water Aﬀairs • Rand Water • Water Research Commission • Aquainnovate REGIONAL FOCUS: Western Cape Sustainable solutions sought Monitoring of school boreholes under way Swartland pipeline nears completion Pearly Beach uses ultrafiltration membrane technology

Volume 8. No.3

39 42 44

WISA celebrates National Water Week

AFRICAN FOCUS Malawi: Pump company wins turnkey contract Mozambique: Ultraflo for Chinanguanine Botswana: Mines cleaning up wastewater Botswana: Maun drinking water supply ensured

50 51 52 53

INDUSTRY INSIGHT Is greywater recycling sustainable?

SPECIAL FOCUS A specialised solution Pipe repair prioritised

57 60

FEATURE: RESERVOIRS AND BOREHOLES Storage capacity doubled 20 kℓ KwaZulu-Natal tank installation successful Celebrating 30 years of success Borehole pumps prioritised New product well-positioned

62 64 66 68 70

REGULARS Editor’s comment Infrastructure news Industry news

3 22 24

Monitoring of school boreholes under way

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Publisher Elizabeth Shorten Editor Chantelle Mattheus Head of design Frédérick Danton Senior designer Hayley Mendelow Designer Kirsty Galloway Chief sub-editor Claire Nozaïc Sub-editor Patience Gumbo Contributors Jan Theron, Shanna Nienaber, Timony Siebert Marketing & online manager Martin Hiller Production manager Antois-Leigh Botma Production coordinator Jacqueline Modise Distribution manager Nomsa Masina Distribution coordinator Asha Pursotham Financial manager Andrew Lobban Administration Tonya Hebenton Printers United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 Advertising sales Avé Delport Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6224 • Cell: +27 (0)83 302 1342 Fax: 086 502 1216 E-mail: avedel@lantic.net

EDITOR’S COMMENT

With baited breath Aquainnovate. In addition, the magazine continues to highlight the successful roll-out and delivery of services to communities through

Publisher

its regional focus; this time highlighting infrastructure projects in the Western Cape. Physical address: No 4, 5th Avenue Rivonia 2056 Postal address: PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117, South Africa Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: chantelle@3smedia.co.za MEDIA

The upgrade and extension of the Grabouw s I write this editor s comment I

Sewage Treatment Works is unpacked on

ﬁnd myself in a strange position.

page 39 and the roll-out of the Swartland

Despite water and wastewater

pipeline project, which is currently nearing

having been in the pages of the

completion, is investigated on page 44. On

mainstream newspapers quite often recent-

page 42, an interesting project being rolled

ly, my focus is instead on the upcoming

out by SRK Consulting ‒ the monitoring of

announcements I believe will set the agenda

school boreholes ‒ is also highlighted.

for the water sector going forward.

In an aside, in the previous edition of

Coming up is the Department of Water

Water&Sanitation Africa we highlighted the

protected and may not be reproduced either in whole

Aﬀairs budget vote on 21 May, which will

Mbazwane Groundwater Monitoring Network

or in part without the prior written permission of the

most deﬁnitely be dissected on our website

as part of our KwaZulu-Natal regional focus,

publishers. The views of contributors do not necessarily

(infrastructurene.ws) as soon as it is released.

but we wrongly referred to Mark Schapers

We are also all awaiting with baited breath

as a Jeﬀares & Green executive associate. He

All articles in Water&Sanitation Africa are copyright

reflect those of the Water Institute of Southern Africa or the publishers.

the release of the Green

WISA CONTACTS:

Drop

HEAD OFFICE Tel: +27 (0)11 805 3537 Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand

Drop update, which will

BRANCHES

from 7 to 11 July.

Eastern Cape Chairman: Hennie Greeﬀ Tel: +27(0)41 453 3102 Secretary/Treasurer: Chris Dickson Tel: +27(0)41 507 8200

www.ewisa.co.za

Results

and

Blue

be released at WISA s 4th Municipal Water Quality Conference, to be held I

can

antee

almost

that

guar-

those

announcements

two

will

is, in fact, a technical

The magazine continues to highlight the successful rollout and delivery of services to communities

the focus of water-related

director. Our humblest apologies for this error. That hope

being you

said,

thoroughly

enjoy and are inspired by of

the

latest

edition

Water&Sanitation

Africa. I was particularly inspired by the passion and

commitment

dis-

Free State Chairperson: D.R. Tlhomelang Tel: +27(0)51 403 0800 Secretary/ Treasurer: Riana Wessels Tel: +27(0)56-515-0375

discussion for a while. As such, this edition

played by the young engineer I got to inter-

of Water&Sanitation Africa is starting oﬀ

view for the Hot Seat in this edition on page

the debates ‒ speciﬁcally on water and

18: Mpho Ramphao, water and wastewater

wastewater quality ‒ in our panel discussion,

engineer at Aurecon. If we all have even a

KwaZulu-Natal Chairman: Chris Fennemore Tel: +27 (0)31 311 8734 Secretary/ Treasurer: Stephanie Walsh Tel: +27 (0)31 302-4077

with some illustrious participants, such

fraction of his enthusiasm, the challenges the

as the Department of Water Aﬀairs, Rand

water sector is currently facing will be noth-

Water, the Water Research Commission and

ing but speed bumps.

Western Cape Chairman: Gareth McConkey Tel: +27(0) 21 712 4260 Secretary/ Treasurer: Eleonore Bondesio Tel: +27(0)21 872 0322 WISA mission statement m The Water Institute of Southern Africa provides a forum er for exchange of information and views to improve water resource management in southern Africa.

Endorsed by

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MAY/JUNE 2013

COVER STORY

ROYAL HASKONINGDHV

Here today, reused Royal HaskoningDHV, leading the future of sustainable water

rowing populations, increasing urbanisation and industrial growth is placing severe stress on existing surface and groundwater resources throughout the world. This ongoing growth

in water demand and the impacts of climate variability combine to alter our planet and the way we live. This is especially so in arid countries like South Africa where droughts have shown the devastating eﬀects the lack of water can have on communities and economies.

By Jan Theron, who is based in Port Elizabeth and heads Royal HaskoningDHV’s global knowledge group for Water Reuse

assurance, even during disaster situations. The obvious first step is to minimise wastage and make better use of the water we have while heightening awareness and caring for this precious resource. Technological advances and their innovative application make water reuse a viable and completely safe supplement to natural sources. Water reuse solutions must be fit for purpose with the specific purpose of providing a sustainable, secure supply of water as part of an overall water

This reality requires a passionate, innovative response

resource portfolio. With a legacy of close to one hundred

to provide water security to communities and industry in

years of water technology experience in Southern

a long-term sustainable manner with improved levels of

Africa, coupled with similar experience worldwide, Royal HaskoningDHV is an acknowledged expert in the field. Dealing with water shortages and the development of water reuse solutions for both potable and industrial water supply were manifest in preventing disaster situations during the recent droughts ‒ the worst in 150 years ‒ that hit the Western and Eastern Cape provinces. These interventions ‒ collectively coined by Royal HaskoningDHV as Life beyond our Rivers ‒ have prompted the development of a very specific approach and tailored solution packages that focus on direct and indirect potable reuse; industrial, commercial and agricultural water reuse; and desalination, as well as dealing with situations where de facto reuse take place. Direct potable reuse involves the introduction of reclaimed water from a wastewater treatment works directly into a drinking water treatment system, often involving several advanced treatment steps and technologies to mitigate any risks to the drinking water supply. Indirect potable reuse involves the augmentation of a water (surface or groundwater) source with reclaimed water via an environmental buffer (such as a large dam) before introducing it into the drinking water treatment system. Industrial, commercial and agricultural water reuse can be direct or indirect, depending on the specific requirements of the end users. De facto reuse is a very common occurrence where treated wastewater is being reused, but not officially recognised, for instance where a drinking water supply intake is located downstream of a wastewater

ABOVE Part of the ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis plant for 5 Mℓ/d industrial reuse application at Mossel Bay Regional WWTW LEFT Aerial view of the Fishwater Flats WWTW, Port Elizabeth

MAY/JUNE 2013

treatment plant discharge point. In order to effectively develop and truly benefit from water reuse, an adaptable focus around the specific needs of consumers and our is

ever-changing required

and

environment

should

include

the following: • Strategy for sustainable water ‒ Integrated water resource development and management including

COVER STORY

tomorrow the successful introduction of water reuse and desalina-

• Social acceptance & facilitation ‒ Reuse of

tion into an existing water resource portfolio as part of

water, especially for potable reuse, most often

the planning process.

comes with some reluctance to be accepted

• Future-proof industrial water supply ‒ Introducing

by communities due to various factors ranging

water reuse as a sustainable, feasible and potentially

from religious beliefs to ignorance about the

cost saving water supply to industrial, commercial and

subject. Social facilitation and education is

mining users.

critical prior to the development of any water

• Water reuse extends existing water (and wastewater)

reuse scheme and to its ultimate success.

infrastructure capacity ‒ Fit-for-purpose water reuse

These focus points are key drivers of our overall

solutions to industrial, mining and water utilities can

vision of Enhancing Society Together and the

create capacity on existing infrastructure and unlock other water resource and infrastructure capacity through water trading and added beneﬁts to the environment. • Reducing the water footprint ‒ through water reuse. • Water reuse = food security ‒ Introduction of water reuse as a safe supply of water for agricultural development. • Augmentation of potable water supply ‒ through direct

“Technological advances and their innovative application make water reuse a viable and completely safe supplement to natural sources.” Jan Theron

following projects are recent examples of applications of water reuse solutions, successfully implemented or currently under way by Royal HaskoningDHV.

or indirect water reuse and desalination. This includes

George indirect potable water reuse: A 10 Mℓ/d water

the development of drought intervention solutions and

reuse plant treating eﬄuent from the Outeniqua WWTW

ensuring safe drinking water through integrated water safety plans and wastewater risk abatement plans, which also applies to de facto reuse. • Life cycle sustainability ‒ Decision-making tools to ensure feasibility of water reuse schemes are essential and should include life cycle costing, risk-based evaluation and management, as well as operation and maintenance solutions. • Energy

eﬃcient

and desalination.

solutions

‒

for

water

reuse

BELOW Mossel Bay desalination plant during construction

using ultraﬁltration technology, providing an indirect pota-

INSET Mossel Bay 15 Mℓ/d desalination plant seawater intake pump station during construction

Municipality and PetroSA, this reuse plant treats 5 Mℓ/d

ble water supply augmentation via the Garden Route Dam. Mossel Bay WWTW direct industrial water reuse: As part of a water swop initiative between Mossel Bay eﬄuent from the Mossel Bay WWTW using ultraﬁltration and reverse osmosis to supply PetroSA with industrial water in exchange for an equal quantity of their surface water allocation from a nearby dam. Nelson Mandela Bay direct industrial water reuse: This

In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa offers advertisers the opportunity to promote their company s products and services to an appropriate audience by booking the prime position of the front cover, which includes a feature article. The magazine offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Please call Avé Delport on +27 (0)11 467 6224/ +27 (0)83 302 1342 to secure your booking.

MAY/JUNE 2013

COVER STORY

About the author: Jan Theron is a professional civil engineer with more than 12 years’ experience in the water and wastewater treatment industry. He is currently the director of Advisory Group: Eastern Cape Water for Royal HaskoningDHV and also leads the company’s global Knowledge Group for Water Reuse. project, which is in its design phase, will provide 45 Mℓ/d of direct industrial water reuse via membrane biological reactors at the Fishwater Flats WWTW.

potable water, as a main source of industrial water or a combination of the two, it dramatically improves the sustainability and security of water supply with the upside of improved living standards and assurance of developmen-

BELOW Mossel Bay Regional WWTW with building housing the ultrafiltration and RO plant in the foreground

tal and economic growth for the future. Without this intervention, our current water resources would quite likely be here today and gone tomorrow! With our passion for sustainability, a more comfortable scenario can be our water is here today and reused tomorrow.

Amathole District drought interventions: Several projects at planning and design stage, including a direct potable reuse scheme at Adelaide (1.5 Mℓ/d) and an indirect potable reuse scheme at Butterworth (5 Mℓ/d), will provide alternative supplementary water supplies to become more resilient to droughts. Chris Hani District ‒ Strategy for sustainable water: This planning document introduces the strategy, feasibility and speciﬁc implementation plans to develop and manage an integrated and optimum combination of water resources as part of the overall portfolio, including the introduction of water reuse. Ultimately, these projects have shown that water reuse is a very feasible, cost-eﬀective and sustainable option that should be considered when reviewing and planning the augmentation of water resources into the future. Whether introducing water reuse as a supplementary supply to

MAY/JUNE 2013

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PRESIDENT ’S COMMENT

Preventive maintenance in practice The water sector offers a host of opportunities for growth and development, which have their own sets of dynamics to take into account, but opportunities do exist. common area for many of us ‒

on a regular schedule, preventive measures

• Managing the established maintenance

whether we own or operate

will reduce the risk of costly repairs. The

programme should also include periodic

installations and facilities for

key to ensuring eﬀective equipment main-

meetings with maintenance personnel

conveyance and treatment of

tenance is to make certain that responsibil-

and providing them formal feedback on

water and wastewater, or provide a service

ities are clearly deﬁned and maintenance

to these sites ‒ is maintenance. Asset care

personnel have the relevant tools and skills

and maintenance is of utmost importance

to do their job eﬀectively. It is also essential

for the viability and sustainability of the

to schedule preventive maintenance.

their job performance. • During the meeting, identify the employees strengths, along with weaknesses. • Enhance employee skills in areas that will

various employed systems in our sector.

In some of the discussions I have had

When discussing the importance of a

with my maintenance team, we generally

preventive maintenance plan with your op-

agreed that maintenance personnel must

feedback from supervisors on their job

erational teams, you see ﬁrst-hand how a

be involved as much as possible as they

performance and how they can improve

good preventive maintenance programme

will take better ownership thereof if they

preserves assets, keeps things running in

are updated on the progress of the mainte-

A preventive maintenance programme

optimum condition and helps ensure that

nance programme. Allowing them to also

that works will:

maximum life expectancy is achieved. It

partake in matters on how to improve the

• deﬁne speciﬁc goals for the programme

also helps managers to anticipate failure,

system adds further value to the team. In

• utilise qualiﬁed maintenance personnel

thereby allowing time to plan and budget

essence planning becomes more and more

• have an organised and eﬀective system

for replacements as well as perform work at

important. By failing to prepare, you are

for maintaining equipment records and

more convenient times. All of these factors

preparing to fail. ‒ Benjamin Franklin

make preventive maintenance a more predictable and cost-eﬀective way to operate. You may agree that there is no single

efforts will be required to eventually yield results as this is one management tool that one ought not underestimate. To understand preventive maintenance, one needs to define it, and everybody involved in this process needs to be committed and understand the difference between preventive/proactive and corrective/reactive maintenance. Preventive maintenance includes work that is planned and carried out on a regular basis to maintain and keep the infrastructure or assets in good condition. Minor re-

maintenance

personnel

want

their skills and perform better.

scheduling maintenance work

During this process of engaging with

• include periodic management reviews

my team, the following started to become

to evaluate and continually improve

clear and accepted practice:

solution for improving preventive maintenance, but rather that many combined

beneﬁt the employee and the facility. • Most

the programme. A well-executed preventive maintenance

TABLE 1 Preventive maintenance Advantages

Disadvantages

• flexibility for adjusting maintenance frequencies • component life cycle is increased • energy savings are generated • equipment and/or process failures are reduced • early interventions and corrective measures help prevent the costly major failures, reducing the cost of ownership • improved system reliability • decreased system downtime • up to 20% cost savings may be achieved as opposed to reactive methods

• catastrophic failures are not eliminated • it is more labour intensive • it includes some invasive activities that have the potential to cause incidental damage to components

pairs and replacements as dictated by the routine examinations may also, at times, be included. Reactive maintenance is undertaken in reaction to a crisis; it normally occurs as a result of failures and the malfunctioning or

TABLE 1 Reactive maintenance Advantages

Disadvantages

• lower initial or short-term costs • fewer staﬀ required

• increased costs due to unplanned equipment downtime • increased labour costs, especially if overtime is needed for untimely repairs/replacements • may result in secondary equipment or system losses • is an ineﬃcient use of staﬀ resources

breakdown of equipment. In order to ensure the routine maintenance and health of the system, the technician should adhere to a routine check-up. If done correctly and

MAY/JUNE 2013

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PRESIDENT ’S COMMENT schedule results in reduced breakdowns

order for them to make critical decisions

and cost savings. Many organisations with

• we need to eﬀectively use the abilities of

sector, but the emphasis of the aforesaid

sound intentions either develop or hire

the maintenance staﬀ and let them take

in this article articulates the signiﬁcance

out preventive maintenance programmes

ownership of the programme

of such a plan. No one gets an iron-clad

and schedules, only to ﬁle them away later.

opportunity, luck and timing are important.

needs to be properly used to be of any real

maintenance needs

But the backbone of success is usually

staﬀ needs to understand the fundamentals of water and wastewater treatment in

career

the

guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like

• there is no one-size-ﬁts-all system, but the

and

that will satisfy your asset care and

session, we learned:

training

plans

Like any tool, the maintenance programme

During our brainstorming and research

maintenance

paths

worth to your organisation.

• invest

preventive

• have checks and balances in place and

found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like

monitor progress by having regular plan-

hard work, determination, good planning

ning meetings

and perseverance. ‒ Mia Hamm

• always investigate and explore best pracRonald M Brown

tice and systems. I believe that there are many best practice

WISA President

WISA celebrates National Water Week This year, WISA celebrated National Water Week in March by spreading the word on water consciousness and water careers to the youth in Midrand, Gauteng. ater

life:

Respect

it,

directly from the taps with their mouths

Conserve it, Enjoy it was the

and hands as this could spread disease.

theme for this year s National

They must rather use the

Water Week, celebrated in

water

supplied,

explained

2013. To celebrate National Water Week,

Special

WISA visited two schools in Tembisa near

given to the older grades

Midrand: Winnie Mandela Primary School

6 and 7 classes, with the

and Reagile Primary School. WISA represent-

representatives taking the

atives, Evelyn Ramphomane and Maimboti

opportunity to discuss the

Mutezo from the WISA head oﬃce, engaged

various career opportuni-

with the children on a consultative basis,

ties available in the water

explaining various ways to conserve South

sector.

Africa`s most precious resource ‒ water.

on how important water

Ramphomane. attention

was

We gave lessons

The reason for visiting was to inform the

is in the larger context and

learners about Water Week awareness and

also gave tips on subject

to give some few lessons on Water Saving

choices that can lead them

Tips ,

into the water industry.

explained

Ramphomane,

adding

that some of the tips included methods for

bottles

South Africa between 18 and 24 March

In addition, the team

washing their faces, that they stop brushing

distributed

their teeth with running water on, use of

tles,

the shower, that the kettle should not be

pens, beanies and ﬂyers

ﬁlled to the brim for one cup (which will also

explaining various ways

help on saving electricity), tips for washing

to conserve water.

the car and rather using a bucket instead

principals of both primary

of hose.

schools were very excited

water

calendars,

botrulers,

The

The grades of concern ‒ or rather the

and thankful about all this.

focus grades ‒ were grades R, 1, 6 and 7 as

The teachers said this was

this is where the WISA representatives felt

excellent and educational

they would have the most impact. We ﬁrst

for

gave away the water bottles to the Grade R

the learners,

and 1 and taught them not to drink water

Ramphomane.

the

educators

and

concluded

MAY/JUNE 2013

BELOW Ramphomane and Mutezo educate the learners of Reagile Primary School about water conservation

WISA NEWS

DIVISIONAL DISCOURSE

Investigating industrial water The pollution of our national water sources by the irresponsible discharge of industrial effluent is one of the biggest threats posed by industrial water – or rather the incorrect treatment thereof – according to Willie Saunders of the Southern African Industrial Water Association, a division of WISA. he majority of industries in South

need the support of the other role players,

to act as one team to protect our water

Africa are willing to pay municipal

says Saunders.

sources and the environment and to pro-

industrial

discharge

levies

He adds that recently a lot of focus has

penalties on their polluted eﬄuent

been given to industrial water; however, this

and in most instances pass the costs on to

primarily revolves around the mine water

the consumer instead of putting any eﬀort

crisis. Taking into account the number of

Education essential

into pretreating and recycling their eﬄuents

industries in South Africa today that contrib-

Education and training play a major role in

internally. They do not regard eﬄuent treat-

ute to pollution, the focus on industrial wa-

the current context, especially at manage-

ment as part of their money-making process

ter is deﬁnitely not enough and a lot more

ment level of the industrial sector, believes

and prefer to ignore the downstream im-

can be achieved, says Saunders.

Saunders. Management must be the driver

says Saunders.

and ﬁrst line of responsibility for water con-

plications on the ecosystems and national

SAIWA scrutinised

servation and responsible discharge of their

Saunders has been serving on the Southern

The mission of SAIWA is the following: To

industrial eﬄuents.

African Industrial Water Association (SAIWA)

gather and disseminate information for the

I presume enough focus is being given

committee in various portfolios over the

advancement of cost-eﬀective and environ-

in the theoretical training, but one only

past 15 years and he has a passion for the

mentally acceptable operational practices,

becomes aware of this immense problem

eﬀective functioning of this division .

control measures and management of

of industrial pollution when you are ex-

The only way this challenge can be over-

industrial water and wastewater related sys-

posed practically to problematic industries

come, according to Saunders, is through

tems and processes. Saunders says: SAIWA

where you can visualise the irresponsible

increased pressure on industries from the

will strive for the successful implementation

behaviour of some of the big polluters in our

water conservation measures,

he warns.

of its mission. He

“SAIWA strives to accommodate a diverse committee representation from the diﬀerent segments involved in industrial water.” Willie Saunders, SAIWA

mote the recycling of industrial eﬄuents,

and

country. The application of eﬀective tech-

adds

SAIWA s

that

focus

nologies and options then becomes more tangible, he says.

to bring the diﬀerent

stakeholders

Tracking technology

the

When assessing the possible impact of new

industrial

water

technologies being rolled out in the mar-

fraternity

together

ket, a number of factors need to be taken

in an eﬀort to create

into account. One factor that signiﬁcantly

an awareness of the

aﬀects the costs and viability of most of the

challenges

being

water treatment technologies available is

faced in the day-

the sludge, brine or any other solids result-

to-day operation of

ing from the pretreatment processes, says

industries that deal

Saunders, adding that this factor creates re-

with

sistance as many industries are reluctant to

involved

troublesome

undertake treatment and recycling on-site.

industrial water pollution control authori-

eﬄuents and the subsequent eﬀect on

ties of the diﬀerent metro councils as well

water sources and the environment. SAIWA

The removal of sludge and the disposal

as from government level, including the

strives to accommodate a diverse com-

thereof is abnormally costly and it seems

Department of Water Aﬀairs and Rand

mittee representation from the diﬀerent

as if a monopoly evolved over the years

Water Board, forcing them to implement

segments involved in industrial water, e.g.

pertaining to sludge handling and disposal.

treatment facilities on-site. Incentivise the

chemical suppliers, industry representatives,

More focus should be given on a national

reuse of industrial wastewater and promote

water authorities and environmentalists.

level to innovative technologies that recover

the synergistic cooperation of industries

Annual conferences are organised by SAIWA

by-products from the sludge or even sub-

with water treatment companies to solve

to bring the diﬀerent disciplines together

sidising eﬀorts to make pretreatment and

eﬄuent problems in national interest. It

where mutual problems and possible solu-

recycling more aﬀordable.

must be mentioned that the metro council

tions can be discussed in order to conserve

industrial pollution control authorities are

the precious commodity called H2O.

There are, however, a number of best practice examples available in the country.

doing a great job and have grown sig-

SAIWA wishes to achieve the involvement

Plants with zero water discharge, which

niﬁcantly the last 10 to 15 years, but they

of the total industrial water environment

do not generate contamination and reduce

MAY/JUNE 2013

WISA NEWS e.g. internationally with the pollution of the

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

Rhine River and Thames River. In the South

By Willie Saunders SAIWA ran very successful annual symposiums from 1987 through to 1992. These were supplemented with technical evenings and workshops. By 1993, it was becoming diďŹƒcult to organise symposiums with the help of a few dedicated members working part time and SAIWA instead elected to assist with the Industrial Water sessions at Afriwater and the WISA biennial conference. It became obvious that the place for SAIWA was within WISA as the Industrial Water Division. This was accomplished in November 1996. However, SAIWA managed to organise a very successful Industrial Water Workshop during 2001 with several international speakers, i.e. Dr Richard Lutey, Dr Paul Puckorius and Doug Dewitt-Dick (all from the US). Until 2011, several annual seminars were held at the Maccauvlei venue in Vereeniging. SAIWA also encourages research and novel solutions towards industrial wastewater treatment by sponsoring awards at the WISA biennual conferences for the best contributions.

African context we are experiencing increasing pollution loads, for instance to the Vaal River and Hartbeespoort Dam catchment areas and the underground water. It is just a matter of time before the situation gets completely out of hand. Therefore the need for eďŹ€ective legislation, more intense government involvement, better cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, upgrading of existing treatment works and capacity to handle industrial pollution incidents cannot be underestimat-

pollution downstream, would be considered

API or oil catchment dams, for example, are

ed, says Saunders, adding that there needs

best practice ideals. Greater emphasis should

completely inadequate or under designed

to be eďŹ€ective management of pollution by

be placed on concepts where industrial

for high rainfall, says Saunders.

the diďŹ€erent authorities. Treat or address

eďŹ„uent recycling technologies can minimise

Additionally, rainwater that is supposed

water wastages, reduce intake and are at the

to serve as a clean-up or dilution for our

same time cost eďŹ€ective, says Saunders.

natural water resources eventually becomes

the source of pollution rather than treating the symptoms.

a polluting factor. Illegal discharge of toxic

Focus on the future

Private sector buy-in pivotal

industrial contaminants to the sewers af-

Moving forward, Saunders says the focus

If industry and the private sector could more

fects the design capacity and eďŹ€ectiveness

should be on reduced pollution and in-

extensively utilise waste or partially treated

of the treatment works severely and sub-

creased reuse of industrial wastewater .

wastewater in an eďŹ€ort to save our precious

standard eďŹ„uent is being discharged to the

He adds that SAIWA will look to WISA to

drinking water, the impact could be signiďŹ -

rivers and catchment areas. This, together

facilitate the networking with other WISA

cant, believes Saunders. Partially treated

with pollution from informal settlements,

sub-divisions and assistance with overall

industrial water can be used for ďŹ‚oor wash-

will eventually cause a signiďŹ cant deteriora-

planning and organising of events. WISA as

ings, cooling water, toilet ďŹ‚ushing and dust

tion of South Africa s water, he warns.

the parent body should convey the bigger

control instead of using drinking quality water. EďŹ€ective recycling of water at car and

picture of industrial water during negotia-

Crises stage?

tions and talks with government and water

truck wash centres, rainwater harvesting

We are deďŹ nitely close to a crisis stage â€’ if

and minimising evaporation of swimming

we are not already there â€’ unless a concert-

pools by covering could all contribute to

ed eďŹ€ort from all role players in the industri-

Of speciďŹ c interest is a joint conference in

saving initiatives.

al water fraternity and government can be

August/September to be held in conjunc-

mobilised to address the relevant issues,

tion with the Desalination division in order

says Saunders.

to involve a broader spectrum of attendees

The treatment of industrial water is, however, not performed well in general. Many industries visited revealed that their

According to him, history has demonstrat-

stormwater discharge facilities that include

ed the role that industrial water can play,

authorities to SAIWA and keep communication channels open.

and to demonstrate the advantages of inter-divisional teamwork.

MAY/JUNE 2013

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WISA NEWS

WESTERN CAPE

Process Controllers’ Open Day The Third Western Cape Process Controllers’ Open Day was held on 29 November 2012 in Ceres in the Witzenberg municipal district and about 280 process controllers attended. his event was the ﬁrst organised by

were invited to participate and provide in-

Day. He said that this type of event, which

the formalised Process Controller

put. The main objective was to source ideas

recognised the need for process controllers

Division (PCD) of the Water Institute

about the most practical ways for the PCD

to congregate and deliberate the issues

of Southern Africa (WISA) and was

to achieve its desired goals in the province.

pertaining to their role in the water sector,

held in collaboration with the Department

One proposal was to divide the province

needed to be held in other provinces as

of Water Aﬀairs (DWA), Overberg Water,

into smaller sub-zones, which will be easily

well. He strongly voiced his concerns about

Witzenberg and South African Local Government Association (SALGA). diﬀered

Even from

the the

format previous

two events. The event was preceded by a

brainstorming

session

municipalities who fail to realise

It is the objective of the PCD to have each process controller in the water sector ascribe to the values and principles of WISA’s motto

date to ensure that adequate training and support be provided to process controllers. This investment, he stressed, would enable them to provide quality

28 November 2012 where several process

manageable and allow easy interaction and

services such as Blue Drop quality drinking

controllers from across the Western Cape

measurable growth. Assessments can be

water and Green Drop quality wastewater

done and achievable targets and objectives

eﬄuent standard that would not harm the

can be set for providing solutions where re-

environment or health of the local residents

quired and can be project man-

supported by these municipal systems. The

aged without placing undue

municipalities that are lagging need to act

pressure on the already stressed

decisively and invest in their process con-

personnel

WISA s

trollers because the professionalisation of

role as both a catalyst and facil-

process controllers is a reality and will be on

itator for skills transfer and the

their doorstep very soon.

Registration of the delegates upon arrival

resources.

advancement of the national

His speech was followed by the deputy

objectives for the water sector is

mayor of Witzenberg Municipality, Kariem

also being pursued in this area,

Adams, who endorsed many of the remarks

especially when it relates to the

made by the WISA president and expressed

training and professionalisation

the gratitude of his council for the opportu-

of process controllers.

nity aﬀorded to host an event of such great

The

theme

for

Western

Cape

Controllers

Open

the

third

Process Day

signiﬁcance in the water sector. Dr Marlene van der Merwe-Botha deliv-

was

ered the key note address, which was aptly

Women in Water , which pro-

titled The role of women in the water sec-

vided the newly formed PCD

tor . She told delegates about her career as a

the opportunity to acknowl-

woman in the water sector, pointing out the

edge women who committed

aspirations that she had and how she had

themselves to the development

to set her targets and goals to achieve the

of the water sector.

desired outcomes.

The pro-

gramme director for the event was

the serious nature of their man-

Swastika

Surujlal

Yolanda

Hess

from

Saldanha

Bay

from

Municipality, in her presentation, inspired

George ‒ a very successful pro-

all women to take up their rightful position

fessional in the sector.

in the water sector and gave a practical ac-

The WISA president, Ronald

count of the issues women were faced with

Brown, set the tone in his

when ﬁlling the shoes of jobs traditionally

opening address by congratu-

reserved for men. She emphasised that ac-

lating the PCD for hosting the

ceptability was based on skills, qualiﬁcations

third Process Controller Open

and preparedness to learn and integrate the

MAY/JUNE 2013

WISA NEWS During her presentation, Natasha DavisWolmarans, one of the lead regulatory staﬀ for Blue and Green Drop assessment at the DWA (Western Cape), focused on the importance of the role that process controllers play in obtaining Blue and Green Drop certiﬁcation. This included the collection and analysis of samples as well as the recording of other operational information during their shifts. The

signing

Memorandum

Agreement between Overberg Water and Drakenstein

Municipality

was

another

highlight of the day. The agreement aims to provide process controllers with better training opportunities. The organising committee would like to express its sincere gratitude to the

ABOVE Winner of the price – Marthalin Swart (middle) won a fully paid conference entrance to WISA 2014. With her are Sydney Armoed (left) and Ronald Brown (right) BELOW Delegates opening proceedings with the national anthem

following

sponsors

and

exhibitors

for

has also ensured through its implementation

the support provided leading up to and

plan that the two programmes complement

during the event: AL Abbot, Ceres Fruit

each other. The N3 programme has now

Juices, Ceres Fruit Processors, Circuit Water

been rolled out for other water service pro-

Engineering

viders in the Western Cape, and Overberg

Chemicals, Goba, Grundfos, Ithuba Valves,

Equipment,

Exeo,

Ikusasa

Water is currently busy with the third group

Lyners, Maxal, Merck, Microzone, Overberg

required knowledge in the workplace. This,

of students doing the subject Water N3

Water, Peninsula Water Treatment, Royal

she said, earned her the trust and respect

and Wastewater N3. Once students have

HaskoningDHV,

of her peers and she has made great strides

completed the N3 subjects and training,

Consultants,

in getting her colleagues (male and female)

to advance their studies and careers in

ination is conducted

the sector.

at a Department of

external

exam-

In her address, Ntombizanele Mupariwa,

Education FET college,

the acting director of regulatory perfor-

i.e. at Boland college.

mance management at the DWA, gave a de-

The courses have an

tailed summary of the progress made thus

81% success rate and

far with Regulation 17, which pertains to the

there is a continuously

professionalisation of process controllers.

increasing

The operations manager from Overberg

Veolia WISA

Water, and

Virtual

Witzenberg

Municipality. The municipality deserves a

The theme for the third Western Cape Process Controllers’ Open Day was ‘Women in Water’

demand

special word of thanks for its warm hospitality throughout ‒ it really pulled out all stops to make the event as memorable as possible for the delegates.

for training. Overberg

It is the objective of

Water, Sydney Armoed, took the opportunity

Water has extended invitations to municipal-

the PCD to have each process controller in

to tell the delegates about training initiatives

ities across the Western Cape to enroll their

the water sector ascribe to the values and

that Overberg Water has embarked on in

process controllers in the courses; some mu-

principles of WISA s motto: Building ex-

order to ensure that it was compliant with

nicipalities have taken up the oﬀer with sig-

pertise, sharing knowledge and improving

the regulatory requirements for its process

niﬁcant positive eﬀects on their operations.

quality of life . The PCD also welcomes role

controllers and water

players

treatment

plants.

holders in the sector

addressed

who wish to partner

also

and

stake-

the issue of process

with

controller training and

these

development

They may contact the

the

achieve

objectives.

Western Cape because

chairperson

it became clear that

PCD, Sydney Armoed,

a lot of confusion still

on +27 (0)28 214 3500

exists about the NQF

learnerships and the

min@overbergwater.

co.za

tion.

distance

educa-

Over the past

e-mail

the

bedryfad-

The

Fourth

Western Cape Process

four years, Overberg

Controllers

Water has trained its

Day

own staﬀ as well as

groups of unemployed

Wastewater Treatment

persons in both edu-

Plant in George on 28

cational streams, and

November 2013. MAY/JUNE 2013

will the

Open be

held

Outeniqua

WISA NEWS

YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONALS

A battle of the minds WISA’s Young Water Professionals (YWP) hosted an Inter-University Water Law Debate at the WRC’s International Conference on Freshwater Governance for Sustainable Development, writes Shanna Nienaber, chair of the Gauteng branch of YWP. he governance of how water is used,

prepare position papers for this event. Apart

leading experts in the water sector. The two

who uses it and how much is used is

from participating in the diverse conference

best speakers from each debate presented

a complex issue and is the substance

sessions on oﬀer, participating teams also at-

on their experiences of the competition in

of a substantial body of law at local,

tended a debating and water law workshop.

the closing ceremony of the conference.

national and international levels. As a result,

This provided a platform for participants to

This event proved to be great fun and an

the role and importance of water law exper-

discuss a range of water law concerns and

engaging learning experience for delegates.

tise is well recognised in the South African

work on developing their public speaking

It was exciting to see how the participant s

water sector. It is therefore critical that South

and communication skills. The actual debates

conﬁdence and presenting skills improved

Africa encourages the development of water

took place during lunch hour and provided

during the course of the competition. Equally

law capacity among young water profession-

other delegates at the conference with a plat-

exciting was seeing how members of the au-

als in order to develop the skills needed to

form to think critically about controversial

dience engaged in the debates with critical

draft and implement sound legal frameworks

legal issues. The debates were adjudicated by

questions and comments. The debate and

in future. In recognition of this need, the YWP provided an opportunity for postgraduate students of law from universities from around the country to engage in public

The adjudication team watching one of the debates: from left Inga Jacobs (WRC), Claudius Chikhosa (UP), Dhesigen Naidoo (WRC), Shanna Nienaber (Department of Science and Technology)

debates on a range of pertinent water law issues.

This

Inter-University

Water

Law

Debating Exchange was held at the Water Research Commission-hosted International Conference on Freshwater Governance for Sustainable Development, held from 5 to 7 November 2012, and was sponsored by the Department of Water Affairs. Selected teams were given two topics to research. The first topic focused on the accessibility and effectiveness of the Water Tribunal and the extent to which it helps to achieve the aims and objects of the National Water Act. The second topic explored the appropriateness of trading of water use entitlements in South Africa. In preparation for the debates, teams were expected to

MAY/JUNE 2013

the other sessions at the conference served as a reminder of the importance of creating platforms to engage on pertinent issues pertaining to the governance of the South African water sector.

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Vital Connections

HOT SEAT

AURECON

Leading expertise The perception that wastewater treatment is the “less attractive” cousin to the delivery of potable water is slowly starting to change as the sector increases the level of experience and expertise available, believes Mpho Ramphao, water and wastewater engineer at engineering, management and specialist technical services group Aurecon.

he provision of potable water has long been one of the most attractive areas called upon in terms of supporting government in the roll-out of basic services, yet wastewater treatment is very much a

forgotten service. The process of removing dirty water and

RIGHT Mpho Ramphao with his CESA Young Engineer of the year Award

toilet waste from homes and other centres simply does not have the same appeal for many, and it is regarded as a mundane profession by the ill-informed, Ramphao tells Chantelle Mattheus. This is despite the fact that investing in this area has the potential to have just as much impact on disease control and improving living standards, while the infrastructure required is very similar. However, Ramphao believes that the wastewater sector is slowly gaining momentum. I think this is largely attributable to the Department of

goals (MDGs), as there is still a huge backlog of wastewa-

Water Aﬀair s public education initiative on the Blue/

ter infrastructure that needs to be constructed in South

Green Drop process.

Africa, especially in rural areas where there is virtually

As CESA Young Engineer of the Year in 2011, Ramphao

none, or in the case of urban areas, there is a lot that needs

is one of the young, up-and-coming, innovative engi-

to be maintained, refurbished and or upgraded to meet

neers working towards changing the dynamic in the

the future demands of a large number of people moving

South African context through Aurecon ‒ the company

into urban areas .

he works for ‒ and also by consciously working towards

gaining experience through the access availed to him

Leading innovation

as part of the Aurecon team on large-scale cutting-edge

Not only is South Africa known and respected for its

wastewater projects.

extensive network of large-scale schemes for the transfer

He believes, however, that there still remains a lot of

of water and wastewater, but the country s engineering

work to be done to achieve the millennium development

skills are also well sought after internationally, notes

MAY/JUNE 2013

HOT SEAT

Ramphao. The country has seen many water and waste-

professional engineering services for preliminary design,

water professionals leaving our shores to take up oﬀers in

detailed design, treatment works permit applications,

other countries ‒ to our detriment. This is attributed largely

tender document preparation and tender reporting for the

to the many wastewater technological advancements that

upgrading of Darling WWTW, under the supervision of the

originate from this country s research universities and their

project director.

highly rated academics.

The upgraded treatment works uses the pond system to

This skills edge does also mean that younger engineers

dampen the peak hydraulic loading on a new biological

are increasingly given the opportunity to participate in

nitrogen removal activated sludge process (ASP). This

larger projects and gain invaluable experience through this exposure. Some of the noteworthy projects Ramphao has been involved in include two projects from the Swartland Municipality, namely

the

Darling

Treatment

Works

Wastewater (WWTW)

with a capacity of 2 Mℓ/d and the Malmesbury WWTW, which due to sustained growth in the town of Malmesbury has been upgraded with membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for solid-liquid separation to an average dry weather ﬂow of 10 Mℓ/d, peak

Team members who function as active participants take the initiative to help make things happen

dry weather flow of 20 Mℓ/d and peak wet weather flow of 30 Mℓ/d. Ramphao views the Malmesbury WWTW as a defining moment in his career because he studied his MSc Eng in Wastewater Engineering with a special focus on MBRs. For me to have the opportunity to apply my academic skills on

ABOVE The Malmesbury WWTW was of particular interest to Ramphao as he studied MSc Eng in Wastewater Engineering with a special focus on MBRs

flow dampening allows a saving on the cost of components affected by hydraulic loading. The peak flows are absorbed by the ponds where the relatively low loading rate enables production of a water quality suitable for irrigation, once disinfection has taken place. The flow

RIGHT MBR final effluent BELOW The MBR plant applies the well-established activated sludge process to treat wastewater (bioreactor filled with sludge)

what is the second municipal MBR project in South Africa was a cherry on top. This plant was successfully commissioned in early March 2013 and is currently producing a pristine eﬄuent water quality.

Seizing opportunities In the case of the Darling WWTW, the original WWTW consisted principally of a series of anaerobic and oxidation-evaporation ponds. The treatment works was overloaded in excess of 250%, says Ramphao. In addition, the existing works was not capable of treating effluent to levels acceptable by law, as it produced effluent that was below the required discharge standard and could no longer operate in compliance with the permit issued by the Department of Water Affairs. Ramphao explains that this specific project was his first engineering project where he was involved from the outset till the project was completed. I performed the bulk of the MAY/JUNE 2013

HOT SEAT from the new activated sludge plant is

International exposure

discharged to the local river system. The

In addition, he has also gained a lot of inter-

ASP was incorporated into the existing

national exposure through Aurecon, and

Mpho Ramphao studied Civil

oxidation-evaporation ponds to increase the

other projects he highlights as noteworthy

capacity of the works and to improve the

include the Gammams WWTW in Namibia,

quality of the eﬄuent. The ASP is designed

which has a capacity of 40 Mℓ/d and the

to operate in parallel with the existing

Melbourne Eastern Treatment Plant, with a

oxidation-evaporation ponds.

capacity of 400 Mℓ/d.

Engineering at the University of Cape Town and on completion immediately enrolled for an MSc Eng with a special focus on water and wastewater treatment, which he completed in 2004. He joined the then Ninham Shand in October 2004, one of the heritage firms of Aurecon. “All my wastewater knowledge was gained in Ninham Shand/ Aurecon,” says Ramphao. He specialises in wastewater treatment with a focus on the optimisation of wastewater treatment facilities. His experience ranges from design, construction, commissioning and operation to conventional facilities and nutrient removal (biological and chemical) plants, as well as membrane bioreactors. Additionally, his specific expertise in wastewater treatment discipline includes activated sludge treatment with biological nutrient removal, phosphorus precipitation, primary and secondary sedimentation, membrane bioreactor treatment and filtration, biological trickling filtration, anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion of waste activated sludge, sludge dewatering, disinfection and pumping. “In collaboration with internationally acclaimed researchers, I have authored and co-authored eight scientific technical papers and have presented on a number of international conferences, with the latest being Ozwater 2011 in Adelaide, Australia. There is a scarcity of water and wastewater process engineers in South Africa and the supply of these skills to the market is basically non-existent,” says Ramphao, adding that this is a skill one acquires through postgraduate studies, which most graduates are not prepared to do. The conscious transfer of skills to upand-coming engineers is essential, believes Ramphao. “I value this the most because without it, I would not be where I am. I am where I am because some very special and dedicated people sacrificed their time to groom me to be the best I can be. I am of the view that you cannot learn everything in the classroom and that the best skills come by ‘learning on the job’.” Aurecon has an internal mentorship programme where the major driver is to acquire professional registration in terms of the young graduates. In addition, there is also a performance management review process where everyone’s progress gets tracked. “In my case, I joined the company and was given a task to design a project, given all the freedom to ‘learn and make mistakes’ within limits, aﬀorded an opportunity to be responsible for the construction site (i.e. engineers’ representative on-site), and also to manage the project and track the budgets and cash flows. It normally does not happen this way, and I believe that I just happened to join the company at the right time,” says Ramphao.

A major focus is the maximised use of

Gammams WWTW and Melbourne ETP

treated eﬄuent for irrigation. Construction

also indicate the vast experience we have

of a new pipeline to supply this water to the

in South Africa to be able to work on major

local golf course has allowed the transforma-

international projects, says Ramphao.

tion of this previously barren facility to one now attracting players from Cape Town. It is

Dream team

also an enticing residential development and

Being part of a well-adjusted, well-structured

has indirectly created employment ‒ such

and educated team plays a very important

as a new restaurant that partly caters for day

role in shaping one s goals and ensuring you

visitors to the golf course. Importantly, it is no

learn to think outside of the box, as well as

longer necessary to use precious potable wa-

keeping one motivated and inspired, says

ter for irrigation, which had to be piped a sig-

Ramphao. To be in a dream team, it is a sign

niﬁcant distance to the town from far aﬁeld

of the conﬁdence your peers have in you. It is

by the district municipality, says Ramphao.

important that you are regarded as an active

On a personal note, he adds that managing

participant. Team members who function as

the interactions of the parties involved was

active participants take the initiative to help

very important and helped him to gain ex-

make things happen. I always ask: What

tensive design experience of the wastewater

contribution can I make to help the team

treatment works. Darling WWTW is dearest

achieve success?

to me in the sense that it was my ﬁrst major

Ramphao is still at a fairly early stage of his

project (albeit small in capacity compared

career and, as such, his potential impact of

to others), which I used to motivate my

his career on the industry is only just begin-

professional engineering registration with

ning. I am hoping that my background in

ECSA. I learnt most of my engineering skills

water and wastewater treatment will lead to

on this project.

my growth and success. As I grow in my in-

BELOW The upgraded treatment works utilises membrane bioreactors for solidliquid separation

coming and subsequent roles, I hope to bring others up the ladder with me, to provide to the personal and professional growth of the junior team members, in much the same way that the engineers at Aurecon are doing for me. I want to be the employee that is remembered for the problems that became solutions and the unattainable becoming a reality, concludes Ramphao.

MAY/JUNE 2013

BASIC BACKGROUND

INFRASTRUC TURE NEWS

The top infrastructure and service delivery stories making the news

JW launches new meter repair project

ccording

statement

customers is eﬀective and eﬃcient. This

All contract workers will have identi-

released

Johannesburg

will assist JW in recording water ﬂow data

ﬁcation cards with them at all times to

Water s (JW) marketing and

as well as improve the quality of their

ensure that residents can identify them. No

communications

manager,

water demand and conservation strategy.

employee at any stage should be allowed

Millicent Kabwe, Johannesburg Water has

Customers can also now be more conﬁdent

access inside the house; all work will be

launched a new project that will replace

that they are getting accurate consumption

done outside the houses, says Kabwe.

customer meters in order to address the

monitoring and billing.

back log in technical faulty meters.

According to the statement,

According to Kabwe, JW has appointed

residents can be assured that

seven contractors ‒ Bluestone Trench

all the work that the contractors

Technologies, F and A Civils, Letswamotse

do will reinstate the state of the

Civil Engineering, Mapitsi Civil Works,

meters to what it was previously

Sakhile

and

or make it better. The responsible

Daughter, and Sydwell Shabangu Projects

contractor will repair any new in-

‒ to install approximately 33 000 meters

stallations that are reported. The

over a period of three months (April, May

project is already up and running,

and June 2013).

and the meter replacement will

Projects,

Monamodi

The contractors will ensure that the metering of water being supplied to

be done in areas that fall within

REPLACING METERS AND VALVES Replacing the leaking/faulty meters and valves will involve: • raising of meters that have been buried • locating meters that have been labelled “unable to locate” • where meters are located within customer properties, these meters will be moved to outside of the customers’ property to create easy access for Johannesburg Water meter reading staﬀ • meters that are scheduled for replacement will be exchanged with above-ground meters, ensuring they do not become buried again in the future.

the jurisdiction of the city.

MAY/JUNE 2013

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INFRASTRUC TURE NEWS

War on leaks gains momentum

he deputy min-

leaks,

The greatest contributors to the water

facilitate skills development and

loss were identiﬁed to be tap and toilet

and Environmental

create jobs for young people.

leaks, which account for 88% of the water

Aﬀairs,

Through the War on Leaks project

loss in Randfontein, she said.

ister

water

Water Rejoice

conservation,

ﬁx

Mabudafhasi, says the war on

in Randfontein, 30 local indigent

leaks has gained momentum.

youth were trained and appoint-

She launched the War on Leaks

project in Randfontein, Gauteng,

Water

Conservation tasked

with

the

Department

Municipality, a total of 3 017 households have been visited and educated about the

implementing the edu-

cation and awareness

The Department of Water Aﬀairs realises

with

programme, as well as

the need for local government support as

the

Randfontein

rolling out the retro-

a lack of capacity and resources hinders

Local

Municipality,

ﬁtting and leak repair

the implementation of projects. That

initiative in the region.

is the reason why our department has

April

Warriors,

According

Water Aﬀairs and the Randfontein Local

2013,

conjunction

the

Independent

Development Trust and the

importance of conserving water.

the

embarked on intervention

day,

programmes such as the

Speaking at the launch, Mabudafhasi

Mabudafhasi worked with the

Regional Bulk Infrastructure

indicated that in order to meet the coun-

Water Conservation Warriors

Grant, to ensure that dilap-

try s social and economic developmental

to ﬁx leaking taps at already

idated infrastructure is im-

needs as outlined by President Jacob

identiﬁed households expe-

proved, and the Accelerated

Zuma in his 2010 State of the Nation

riencing water leaks, before

Community

Address, the country has to reduce water

awarding the youth with

Programme, to ensure that

loss by half in 2014.

competency certiﬁcates for a

the rectiﬁcation of water in-

basic plumbing course they

frastructure is taking place,

had participated in.

concluded Mabudafhasi.

Rand Water Foundation.

launch

The project aims to eradicate water leaks at household level, educate users about

Infrastructure

Water researcher aw awarded Order of the Baobab According to Lubisi, Ekama receives Accordin th the honour

ed and continue to contribute to a

research that has provided

non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and

innovative

prosperous South Africa as envisaged in

enhancing

solutions and

improving

our Constitution.

wa wastewater treatment. His im-

This is the 19th investiture ceremony

port portant work is helping the coun-

since the inception of the National

try to find solutions to water scarcity. rof George Ekama has

made by individuals who contribut-

for his excellent

Both Sout South Africans and foreign na-

Orders.

President

Jacob

Zuma

be-

stowed to deserving recipients the

the

tionals were officially awarded National

Mendi

national Order of the

Orders at an investiture ceremony held on

Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the

Baobab

been

awarded

Decoration

for

Bravery,

the

This

Freedom Da Day, on Saturday, 27 April 2013.

Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order

African

The ceremo ceremony was held under the theme

of Mapungubwe and the Order of the

National Orders for 2013 was made

Mobilising ssociety towards consolidating

Companions of OR Tambo.

by the Chancellor of the National

our democra democracy and freedom .

announcement

(Silver). South

Orders, Dr Cassius Lubisi, on behalf of the Presidency of South Africa on 22 April 2013.

Lubisi

sai said

the

announcement:

National Or Orders are the highest awards

Currently

professor

the

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment s

Department

Civil

that a count country, through its president, be-

Engineering at the University of Cape

The Order of the Baobab recog-

stows on its citizens and eminent foreign

Town, Ekama is also a fellow of several

nises distinguished service in the

nationals wh who have contributed towards

institutions such as the Water Institute

fields of business and the economy;

the advance advancement of democracy and who

of Southern Africa, Royal Society of

science, medicine and technological

made a sign significant impact on improving

South Africa, the National Academy of

innovation; and community service,

the lives of South Africans. The National

Science and the South African Academy

he said.

Orders also recognise the contributions

of Engineering.

MAY/JUNE 2013

INDUSTRY NEWS

HATCH GOBA

Major merger finalised Consulting engineering, project management and implementation firms Hatch and Goba have announced their merger and now operate as one entity. he new entity, under the name

with a deep level of understanding of the

employees. What s more, ongoing invest-

Hatch Goba, which forms part of the

local environment to produce excellence for

ment in developing local staﬀ will ensure that

global Hatch group, is a multidiscipli-

both public and private sector clients.

the specialist skills base in both engineering

nary and multisectoral engineering

In the public sector, Hatch Goba is now

and large-scale project delivery, which is

consultancy delivering infrastructure, mining

able to oﬀer a diﬀerentiated service to

greatly needed in South Africa, continues to

and metals, and energy projects using world-

clients who need to fulﬁl the mandate of

grow, explains Rory Kirk, Hatch Goba s man-

class practices and processes that will ensure

the National Planning Commission and the

aging director.

that clients achieve their objectives.

National Development Plan, which are key to

Goba s already established outstanding reputation for delivery of infrastructure ‒

the growth that South Africa needs, explains Hatch Goba s chairman, Trueman Goba.

including major roads, highways, airports

Having worked together on a number of

and bridges; water and wastewater; mining

projects over the past

and industrial infrastructure ‒ coupled with

six years, Hatch and

Hatch s African and global expertise and

Goba have developed

presence in the mining and metals, energy

and infrastructure sectors, has resulted

with a good cultural ﬁt.

in a new entity with complementary skill

Hatch Goba will have

sets, regional presence and an expanded

a combined workforce

client base.

of over 1 500 personnel

strong

relationship

Hatch Goba is now able to provide a more

in South Africa and will

comprehensive service to the mining and

continue to give prior-

metals, energy and infrastructure sectors

ity

while ensuring that insight into world-class

programmes and career

project management practices is combined

opportunities

Hatch Goba chairman, Trueman Goba, and managing director, Rory Kirk, shaking hands after finalisation of the merger

developmental for

its

Solving SA’s supply constraints Central University of Technology’s (CUT) water resource expert Prof Yali Woyessa offers insight on how best to sustainably optimise South Africa’s water use.

oyessa and his team ‒ wa-

progress has already been made. The main

Commenting on the future direction of the

ter resource experts from

aim of this modelling task is to understand

research and application of the software,

CUT s

Water

the use of land and management practices,

Woyessa indicates: As part of the strategic

Resources and Environment

Sustainable

which have negative impacts on water

focus of the research group to grow its

Research Group in the Department of Civil

resources. We believe that our research will

capacity and its roles in ﬁnding solutions to

Engineering ‒ believe the answer to solving

beneﬁt the local government departments

the ever-present water shortage issue, an

the country s dwindling water supply lies

by providing them with the necessary infor-

adjunct processor has been appointed in the

in understanding the socio-hydrological

mation for better decision-making.

Department of Civil Engineering for a period

dynamics and extreme hydrological events

An extreme hydrological event monitor-

of two years to assist in the enhancement of

such as ﬂoods and drought that have be-

ing software was developed by CUT lec-

the outcomes and to make a positive impact

come more frequent in the past decade.

turer OJ Gericke - a user-friendly tool used

in the socio-economic development of the

for designing ﬂood estimation, essential for

central region of South Africa.

Woyessa says: In trying to understand the human-environment dynamics and its im-

the design of hydraulic structures.

A Centre for Water and Environment

pact on water resources, a conceptual mod-

Gericke has presented this unique soft-

el that integrates the socio-economic and

ware at several workshops at the universities

platform for researchers to network, in-

biophysical environment is being developed

of Stellenbosch and Pretoria, impressing

teract and share knowledge with relevant

by the research group. Research in this area

their faculty heads with the multitude of

stakeholders and peer institutions, con-

is still in its infancy but some encouraging

applications it can be used for.

cludes Woyessa.

MAY/JUNE 2013

also

being

established,

creating

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PEETS

Strategically positioned for maximum impact The Process, Energy and Environmental Technology Station (PEETS) at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein Campus is strategically positioned to positively impact the wastewater treatment and industrial water treatment sectors in order to optimise the current water usage context.

on developing intellectual, technological and

We are looking at creating strategic part-

nicipalities in a very direct

well-deﬁned practical solutions to the multi-

nerships with international investors where

manner as they are the en-

tude of environmental and process-related

they will come and build the plant at no cost

gine room of managing our

problems within the local context.

to the municipality, recovering their cost per

with the communities as primary clients.

Contextual analysis

The use of our coal-based energy and the

According

move to diversiﬁcation of the mix towards

semi-arid, water-constrained classiﬁcation

Obviously, challenges arise around govern-

renewables is where our awareness thrusts

also needs reassessing when considering

ance and municipal ﬁnance management,

are positioned. The water-energy fulcrum is

that R7 billion worth of water is lost or unac-

but these can, to a large degree, be solved

directly interrelated and we strive to dissem-

counted for annually. The primary challenges

through establishing sound public-private

inate thinking and promulgate interaction

are technical and engineering competence,

partnerships (PPPs). I think the solution lies

in this domain,

the inability to carry through on decisions

in forming solid PPPs driven by technically

and implement them and, most importantly

competent entities, be it us or similar role

in the water context, the wasteful use

players, so that the related politics is side-

of resources.

lined, he continues.

e are interacting with mu-

kilolitre through water purchase agreements

water resources, as well as the key interface

says Mansoor Mollagee,

PEETS director. The core business function of PEETS is in the energy (focusing on renewables and en-

Mollagee,

with the municipalities, over sustained periSouth

Africa s

ods of time, states Mollagee.

ergy eﬃciency) and the environmental space

More production, whether of water or en-

A further wastewater focus ‒ and a major

(focusing on water, air and solid waste), with

ergy, is not necessarily more eﬃcient when

driver in the unit ‒ is the waste-to-energy as-

a strong emphasis on waste-to-energy. With

the existing resources are not optimally

pect. The unit is currently in discussion with

a ﬁrm bridge between its energy and envi-

utilised. The eﬃcient use of water resources

Johannesburg Water to roll out a project that

ronment activities, water treatment solutions

‒ or rather averting water losses ‒ is always

assesses the use of the sewage s low-grade

for the municipal and mining sectors as well

a cheaper option than building a new water

methane emissions to generate electricity.

as technical investigations are the bedrock

treatment plant, says Mollagee.

The problem with waste to energy, par-

PEETS is involved with all three tiers of

ticularly locally, is the cost of rolling out the

in the SMME and large industrial realm,

government, namely local, provincial and

technology. Our approach as PEETS is going

says Mollagee.

national, in order to add value to and capaci-

to be very diﬀerent, looking at localising the

tate the process of becoming more eﬀective

technology so that it becomes aﬀordable

agents of change on a training, auditing,

within the South African context.

of our eﬀorts as we expand our footprint

PEETS is a newly created unit that focuses

These interventions are about rolling out

BELOW PEETS exhibition stand at the Energy Indaba, Sandton Convention Centre, which was held from 19 to 21 February

strategic and project development level.

Practical application

projects that feed into government s drive

BELOW RIGHT Qedani Mahlangu from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, at the exhibition opening

Regionally, PEETS has started by focusing its

for increasing human capacity development,

proposed interventions on KwaZulu-Natal.

technology transfer and job creation.

implementable, bankable, scalable pilot

MAY/JUNE 2013

INDUSTRY NEWS

WORLD WATER DAY

Celebrations at Zandspruit informal settlement Xylem Water Solutions South Africa has entered into a partnership with Emthonjeni Community Centres and the Rotary Club of Northcliff to help address the growing water-needs of the community residing in the informal settlement of Zandspruit in Gauteng.

orld Water Day is held annu-

made this the ideal opportunity to celebrate

vision of bringing sustainable change to the

ally on 22 March as a means

Xylem s partnership with Emthonjeni and

community of Zandspruit informal settle-

of focusing attention on the

the Rotary Club of Northcliﬀ, which has

ment, adds Louise Rivett, MD of Emthonjeni

importance

freshwater

come about as an eﬀort to help improve

Community Centres.

and advocating for the sustainable man-

the lives of the 70 000 people residing in

agement of freshwater resources. World

the informal settlement of Zandspruit. This

sentiment.

Water day also happened to fall within

partnership was oﬃcially celebrated on

with the Rotary Foundation and WASRAG

South Africa s Water Week this year, which

World Water Day at Emthonjeni s premises

(Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group),

in Zandspruit.

has been instrumental in providing clean

BELOW “We saw an ideal opportunity with Emthonjeni Community Centres, where we could get involved in supplying water solutions that will contribute to this pivotal community service becoming selfsustainable,” says Heinrich Louw, marketing manager of Xylem Water Solutions South Africa (pictured far right)

Emthonjeni

Community

drinking water and hygienic sanitation to

established to work alongside the local

communities around the world. The infor-

communities in areas of poverty, to meet

mal settlements in South Africa are often

their devastating physical, medical, job cre-

characterised by inadequate basic services

ation, educational and social needs. When

like the provision of clean drinking water

Xylem Water Solutions South Africa heard

and sanitation. This lack of water has pro-

about Emthonjeni s valuable work within

found implications for human development,

Zandspruit

community,

which increases the risks of waterborne dis-

the company decided to come

eases, health and the child mortality rate. We

on board, along with the

are excited and believe that this joint

Rotary Club of Northcliﬀ, by

initiative with Xylem Water Solutions South

upgrading the existing water

Africa, Emthonjeni Community Centres and

infrastructure at Emthonjeni s

the Rotary Club of Northcliﬀ could make

premises in Zandspruit.

a signiﬁcant contribution towards food

Xylem South

Water

Africa

seeking to

work

Solutions

security, enhance academic performance

constantly

and improve the health of the beneﬁciary

opportunities

schools. The combined eﬀorts of our gov-

best-in-class

ernment, the private sector, Rotary and

out with

non-proﬁt

organisations

the goodwill of individuals will go a long

address the full spectrum of

way in addressing the challenges in South

water challenges by provid-

Africa and the developing world, and in our

ing support in the form of

small way contribute to the provision of

water technology, sanitation

safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation

equipment

hygiene

to communities that are in dire need of this

education. We saw an ideal

basic right, says Dean Gounden, president

opportunity with Emthonjeni

of the Rotary Club of Northcliﬀ.

and

Community

where

World Water Day witnessed the oﬃcial

we could get involved in

kick-oﬀ of the ﬁrst phase of this newly

supplying water solutions that

formed working relationship. Community

will contribute to this pivotal

members from Zandspruit were hosted

community service becoming

at Emthonjeni s premises in Zandspruit to

self-sustainable, says Heinrich

celebrate World Water Day, South African

Louw,

manager

Water Week and the partnership between

Solutions

Xylem, Emthonjeni and the Rotary Club of

Centres,

marketing

Xylem

Water

South Africa.

Northcliﬀ. A hygiene workshop for commu-

Clean water is the foundation

development;

all

sustainable

this

initiative

will contribute to Emthonjeni s

Rotary International, together

was

the

Centres

The Rotary Club of Northcliﬀ shares this

MAY/JUNE 2013

nity members was presented in cooperation with the City of Johannesburg, along with a very special performance by the worldrenowned Soweto Gospel Choir.

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THE AD SHOP 2549

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT

To drink or not to drink? Water quality refers to the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its suitability for an intended purpose; â€œgood qualityâ€? water most often implies that the intended purpose is potable water. rinking water is of a much better

safeguarding the tap water quality man-

development, mining and recreation also

quality than, for example, water

agement for the citizenry at large.As stated

have the potential to signiďŹ cantly alter the

for industrial purposes. In order

by the DWA in the 2012 Blue Drop Report,

quality of natural waters and changes the

to treat water to the Class 1

this objective stems from the fact that the

water use potential.

standard, as per the SANS 241: 2006 (SANAS

livelihood of mankind depends on the avail-

standard for Drinking Water), a lot of pro-

ability of clean drinking water .

the

following

panel

discussion,

Water&Sanitation Africa seeks to highlight

cesses and innovative technologies are in-

The nature of water, and thus water

sustainable water quality management in

troduced. A number of key role players also

quality, is easily changed and negatively

the South African context by interviewing

ensure the quality is maintained through

aďŹ€ected by both natural processes and

key role players, such as the DWA, the Water

managing, monitoring and, as in the case

human activities, and can vary across

Research Commission and Rand Water, as

of the Department of Water AďŹ€airs (DWA),

locations as sources and inďŹ‚uences vary,

well as key private sector role players, on

regulating the drinking water environment.

such as seasonal changes, climatic changes

the importance of maintaining the quality

The Blue Drop certiďŹ cation programme

and the types of soils, rocks and surfaces

and standard of our drinking water through

was introduced by the DWA as a means

through which it moves. Human activities

continued testing, regulation and key

of regulation and was designed and

both intentional and unintentional, such as

sustainable water management initiatives,

implemented with the core objective of

agricultural activities, urban and industrial

programmes and processes.

MAY/JUNE 2013

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PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER QUALITY Ntombizanele Mary Bila-Mupariwa

DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS the South African National

in areas where

turnaround within

Standards 241; this increased

there is a real

municipalities (skills)

to 97.3% in the 2012 reporting

drive to comply;

• plant operation

cycle. The overall national

however, the

What would you say is the current water quality context in South Africa?

drinking water compliance

lack of capacity

ﬁgure is recorded at 98%

and resources compromises

(based upon microbiological,

local government s

How do you envision these challenges being overcome?

According to the veriﬁed

chemical, physical and

performance. Two of the

The department continues

analysis of 2011/12, the Blue

organoleptic data).

major interventions by the

to undertake training and

department are the Regional

support initiatives to improve

Bulk Infrastructure Grant

the skills of process controllers

quality performance per

How is this context changing? Between 2009 and

(RBIG), to ensure that rundown

in order to improve operation

supply system vary from

2012 there has been signiﬁcant

infrastructure is improved,

and maintenance. Councillor s

excellent to unacceptable .

improvement in the number

and the Rapid Response Unit,

induction training, which is

The report reveals a signiﬁcant

of Blue Drop awards and Blue

which ensures the rectiﬁcation

run by the department, also

improvement, which serves as

Drop scores (see Table 1).

of mechanical and civil

improves the commitment

evidence of the positive impact

However, there are some towns

infrastructure faults.

and competency in water

this Blue Drop incentive-based

that require improvement and

regulation approach has on the

further support in order to deal

South African water sector.

with the challenges that they

Drop assessments results indicate that drinking water

The national microbiological tap water in 2009 was measured at 93.3% against

TABLE 1 Blue Drop assessment analysis (national)

and maintenance.

managerial positions.

are experiencing.

compliance for South African

deputy director: Water Services Regulation

How is DWA contributing to this changing context? The department realises the need

What are the primary challenges to ensuring optimal water quality?

Which water quality projects would you like to highlight?

There is need for improvement

• the Blue Drop certiﬁcation

in the following areas:

programme ‒ measures,

• commitment and competency

monitors and reports drinking

in water managerial positions

for local government support

• skilled process controlling • competent plant managers

water quality in South Africa each year • Regulatory Performance

Category

2009

2010

2011

2012

Trend

• asset management

Measurement System ‒

Number of municipalities audited

107

153

162

153

↓

• ﬂow management and

assesses, evaluates and

Number of water systems audited

402

787

914

931

↑

Number of Blue Drop awards

↑

National Blue Drop score (%)

51.4

67.2

72.9

87.6

↑

planning (water quantity) • disaster management • ﬁnancial management • high staﬀ

MAY/JUNE 2013

reports overall water management business in municipalities • funding for access to

PANEL DISCUSSION

Performance category

2008

2009

2011

2012

Risk trend

Municipal Water

impact on the water resource

Highest CRR

↓

Quality Conference,

(and human health) and to

which takes place

ensure prioritised and targeted

in Sun City from

regulation of institutions.

Average CRR

13.5

13.3

13.6

12.3

↓

Lowest CRR

↓

Average design rating (A)

2.5

1.4

→

report will also

and wastewater quality

Average capacity exceedance rating (B)

3.3

3.7

4.1

3.8

↓

indicate the trend

lessons learnt:

Average eﬄuent failure rating (C)

3.2

5.7

4.7

↓

of the risk proﬁle as

• replication of successful

Average technical skills rating (D)

1.7

2.4

2.6

2.5

↓

well as the Green

Average % deviation from maximum CRR

67.0

66.8

69.2

66.0

7 to 11 July. The

Drop Scores.

↓

The following are water

models across diﬀerent disciplines • ﬁnd someone doing

triggered a paradigm shift

What are some of the DWA s latest innovations in the wastewater quality context? The Green Drop

drinking water in urban and

within the wastewater service

incentive-based regulation is

rural areas, including the

and drinking water quality

an innovative means that seeks

Municipal Infrastructure

management domain.

to identify and develop the

to focus attention and

core competencies required for

resources to areas where most

The Cumulative Risk Ratio (CRR) = A x B + C + D

TABLE 2 Cumulative risk comparitive analysis

programmes have achieved signiﬁcant success and

Grant, RBIG and Accelerated

How does the DWA feel the Blue and Green Drop awards have aﬀected performance to date? It is encouraging

the sector that, if strengthened,

• the National Water Resource

Community Infrastructure Programme, which provides accelerated implementation

will gradually and sustainably

something right and share it/ publish this achievement • name and shame is a powerful awareness raiser to focus political principles attention and solicit resources support • a risk-based approach helps

urgent action is needed • (always) establish a reliable

improve the level of

baseline from where progress

wastewater management in

can be monitored, then

to note the increase in the

South Africa. The Green Drop

put incentives in place to

Strategy 2 (NWRS-2) ‒ a key

number of towns getting

system was also developed to

reach reasonable targets ‒ a

focus area is drinking water

the Blue and Green Drop

access and quality

awards. This shows continuous

What would you say is the current wastewater quality context in South Africa? The

be used as a regulatory tool to

scientiﬁc credible process is

data in Table 2 projects a very

institutions to upload their

Framework draft ‒ aligns with

positive reﬂection of progress

water quality data.

NWRS-2 for partnerships to

in wastewater treatment

reduce water ineﬃciencies in

plants in South Africa. The

Abatement Plan (W2RAP)

an incentive-based approach

overall picture is positive

for wastewater has a similar

of water services

• DWA and Water Resource

commitment and improvement

Group partnership (Strategic

in both drinking water and

Water Partners Network

wastewater management.

(SPWN)) ‒ water demand

The department is looking

management, leak and

forward to the release of the

loss reduction

Green Drop Report in July.

• a water efficiency assessment and evaluation tool (under development) ‒ to establish baseline water footprint and water efficiency with a scorecard with incentive criteria to reduce water inefficiencies • Water Offsetting Policy

be used by the water services

The Wastewater Risk

non-negotiable • what is working for other countries does not necessarily provide a model for South African situations or scenarios • put more emphasis on track

and it seems the country

approach to water safety

record and performance

How important are initiatives such as Blue and Green Drop? The

as a whole has managed to

planning for drinking water

guarantees when using

contain and then turnaround

supply systems. W2RAP is

the risk. The regulator regards

the ﬁrst of its kind globally.

approach to water quality

this trend as encouraging;

It s an approach that allows

staﬀ when investing in

changed in 2008 with the

however, plants that remain

institutions to identify and

capacity building; appoint

introduction of alternative

in or have digressed into

prioritise critical risks within the

strong technical and project

regulation approaches,

critical and higher risk

supply of drinking water and

managers and ensure

with the primary objective

categories will be placed under

treatment of wastewater and

capacity building is a KPI in

of improving the quality of

regulatory surveillance.

to take corrective measures to

the agreement.

water services. Blue Drop and

abate these risks. Risk analysis

How is this context changing? The 2013 Green

is used by the regulator to

adopted as key regulatory programmes geared to

Drop Assessment Report

the corresponding risks

recognise excellence . These

will be released at the 4th

according to their potential

Green Drop certiﬁcation were

services providers • retain competent technical

identify, quantify and manage

MAY/JUNE 2013

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PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER QUALITY

RAND WATER What would you say is the current water quality context in South Africa?

How is Rand Water contributing to this changing context? We aim to

monitoring ‒ resulting in

change the context by investing

Which technology would you highlight as key to ensuring water quality at Rand Water? The roll-out of

There are limited raw water resources and these are under

in research and development

real-time/online water quality

of the water treatment process.

increasing threat of pollution

into the optimisation of

monitoring throughout the

and a lack of skills required to

treatment processes to ensure

bulk water supply system has

perform water treatment. In

safe water in future.

made a signiﬁcant impact.

What are the primary challenges to ensuring optimal water quality?

extremely important in the

addition, the increasing cost

corrective action when necessary ‒ and maintenance to ensure optimal functioning

How important are initiatives such as Blue and Green Drop? These are

How is this context changing? Further strains

I would have to say that the

Where do you think the industry s focus should be to ensure continued water quality? On the protection of

biggest challenge is access

South Africa s limited raw water

and the importance of good

to the system are becoming

to adequate resources and

resources, the optimisation

water quality.

apparent ‒ biological water

the lack of buy-in to a holistic

of treatment processes and

pollution and waterborne

approach to water quality

educating the population on

disease is becoming an

(by all parties in the water

wise water use.

increasing threat, for example.

supply chain).

of chemicals is also having a negative eﬀect on water quality.

water industry as they give substance to the sustainable supply of water services

How has Rand Water performed in the Blue and Green Drop awards to date?

How important is continuous testing and maintenance processes in ensuring water quality?

Rand Water has been the top

Water safety plans promote

Ekurhuleni) and is the water

the importance of good water

services provider to four of the

quality through-out the water

top 10 municipalities, namely

supply chain (catchment to

Johannesburg, Tshwane,

tap). This requires continuous

Ekurhuleni and Mogale City.

performing municipality/ water board partnership nationally (Rand Water/

LEFT Zuikerbosch Water Purification Plant BELOW Tweefontein Waste Water Treatment Plant

MAY/JUNE 2013

Supplying Superior Quality Water since 1903

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER QUALITY

WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION (WRC)

Dr Nonhlanhla Kalebaila research manager: Drinking Water Treatment and Quality

What is the current water quality context? The current

How is this context changing? While there are

strategies that

concerns with water quality

clear indications that the water

a desired future.

in South Africa are diverse,

quality in South Africa has

Apart from

complex and dynamic. South

deteriorated over the past 20

knowledge

Africa is a dry country, with

years, there is at least hope

generation, the WRC also

Blue Drop results indicate an

an average rainfall of 450 mm

for change moving forward.

fosters human capital

improvement in the quality

per annum, which is far

However, South Africa will

development in the water

of drinking water in South

below the global average of

need to adopt an advanced

sector. The WRC aims at

Africa, the South African water

860 mm per annum. Apart

and smart water management

providing South Africa with

sector still faces an array of

from low rainfall, there are

approach. And indeed the

future researchers as well as a

water quality management

several other factors, such as

revised version of the National

source of skilled human capital

challenges. Some of these

climate change, population

Water Resources Strategy

for other institutions within

issues include lack of capacity

growth, an expanding

(NWRS-2) is expected to set the

the water sector. Recently,

at puriﬁcation plants, both

economy, water pollution

strategic direction for water

and international obligations,

resources management in

which limit the availability of

the country over the next 20

freshwater resources in South

years. With regards to drinking

Africa. In short, the scarcity

water, the latest results of

of freshwater resources and

the Blue Drop certiﬁcation

impacts of water pollution

programme have shown a

(eutrophication, acidiﬁcation

signiﬁcant improvement in the

and toxic contamination) on

management of drinking water

water quality and ultimately

quality. The overall national

on human health, cost of

Blue Drop assessment score

drinking water treatment and

increased from 72.9% in 2011

the impact on ecosystems are

to 87.6% in 2012.

will lead towards

What are the primary challenges to ensuring optimal water quality? Although the 2012

some of the challenges facing the South African water sector at present. Speciﬁcally, South Africa s

How is the WRC contributing to this changing context? The Water Research

water quality is at risk from

Commission (WRC) has led

the WRC participated in the

in terms of numbers of staﬀ

poorly treated municipal waste,

and coordinated a wide range

ﬁrst Local Government Sector

and the skills of existing staﬀ;

industrial eﬄuent and fertiliser

of research projects, tackling

Education Training Authority

puriﬁcation plants are not able

run-oﬀ from agriculture.

the many challenges facing

pre-scoping meeting for the

to cope with demand; and poor

Most of the nitrogen and

the South African water

occupational qualiﬁcation

maintenance of puriﬁcation

phosphorus released into

sector. In an eﬀort to address

related to water, the purpose of

plants and infrastructure. In

the environment comes from

water quality degradation

the meeting was to determine

addition, there is a need to

these three sources. In high

due to industrial pollution,

and deﬁne the curriculum

enforce measurement and

concentrations these nutrients

the WRC has also entered

scope for water-related

reporting for all water service

can lead to eutrophication.

into a number of strategic

occupational qualiﬁcations for

providers nationally to ensure

Additionally, heavy metal and

research partnerships with

the local government sector.

compliance to the stipulated

radionuclide contamination,

industry. Research conducted

Through research, important

water quality standards.

acid mine drainage, salinity

in this regard covers aspects

contributions have been

increases, increased suspended

of water quality and quantity,

made, such as production of

solids levels, bacterial and

with special emphasis on

user-friendly systems that help

How do you envision these challenges being overcome?

viral pathogens, pesticide/

mitigation of the eﬀects of

water service providers to

There is a need for more

insecticide contamination, and

pollution. A number of research

deal with the various technical

speciﬁc strategic policy and

contamination with estrogen

projects are also aligned to the

issues related to operation

localised actions to water

and estrogen-mimicking

government s outcomes and

and maintenance of small

quality challenges. The ongoing

substances are some of the

directly support policy and

water treatment plants, which

revision of the National

other key water quality risks

decision-making in the water

impact upon the quantity

Water Resource Strategy and

confronting the South African

sector. For example, a recent

and quality of potable water

ultimately the Catchment

water sector. The current

study on the South African

before distribution. We believe

Management Strategies for

situation is further worsened by

water sector institutional

that such projects have had a

water management areas and

the inadequate water treatment

landscape identiﬁed scenarios

signiﬁcant impact on social,

Catchment Management Plans

and sewage treatment plant

relating to the governance of

health and economic issues, as

for individual catchments

infrastructure and shortage of

water to assist policymakers

well as on the sustainability of

is a step towards the right

skilled plant operators.

and stakeholders to develop

the environment.

direction. Already plans

MAY/JUNE 2013

PANEL DISCUSSION are under way for a multi-

in water since 1998 and has

which is yet another critical

Safety Plan Tool can be used

stakeholder and possibly

also been a partner in several

WRC-funded project aimed at

to ensure acceptable drinking

sector-based engagement

global research initiatives

establishing the extent of water

water quality that does not

approach to formulate

relating to this topic. One of

quality deterioration as a result

exceed the numerical limits

action plans to address

the studies completed recently

of the HIV pandemic in South

stipulated in the South

water quality deﬁciencies

was aimed at developing a

Africa. Results from this study

African National Standard for

and identify appropriate

framework for deriving EDC

will give an overview on the

drinking water (SANS 241).

monitoring programmes to

guidelines in drinking water,

extent of antiretroviral-related

The Water Safety Plan Tool

assess progress. Compliance

further providing water

contamination in our water.

requires the implementation

to the South African National

resource managers with a

In addition, results from this

of an integrated water quality

Water Standards (SANS 241)

catchment perspective to EDC

study will be instrumental in

management plan, which

must be enforced for all water

management. The proposed

assessing the risk of resistance

includes a risk assessment

users and service providers.

framework recommends a

development in HIV-positive

and risk management

Lastly, a national audit of

precautionary, risk-based, tiered

people and most importantly

approach from catchment

water puriﬁcation skills and

approach, whereby trigger

give an insight on their removal

to point of delivery. Once

puriﬁcation plants capacity must be undertaken in order to address the gaps, and develop and implement preventive maintenance programmes for

the risk has been identiﬁed,

There is a need for more specific strategic policy and localised actions to water quality challenges

all puriﬁcation plants.

control measures can be put into place to mitigate it. The process also needs to identify systems by which these measures are implemented

values for oestrogen activity

eﬃciencies in wastewater

and monitored. Management

Which projects would you like to highlight? The WRC

are derived and screening for

treatment plants.

plans describing actions taken

funds a number of water

environment takes precedence

water safety, the study entitled

or incident conditions and

quality-related projects,

over testing for speciﬁc target

Web enablement of a Water

documenting the system

with a major inﬂuence on

chemicals. Any indication of

Safety Plan and Incorporation

assessment (including upgrade

public health. The threat to

oestrogenic activity in excess

of Existing Similar Supply

and improvement), monitoring

public health by emerging

of the recommended trigger

System Assessment Tool

and communication plans

contaminants, particularly

value would necessitate further

introduces the concept of

and supporting programmes,

the endocrine disrupting

investigation and testing of the

Water Safety Planning to

should be included. In so

compounds (EDCs), present the

water in question.

water service providers and

doing, the process allows for

highlights key steps to be

better understanding of water

most compelling reasons to be

active compounds in the water

Another new WRC study is

With regards to drinking

during normal operation

constantly informed about the

focusing on the presence, levels

considered when developing

supply systems and ensures the

quality of our water resources.

and potential implications of

a Water Safety Plan. This study

safety of drinking water.

In view of this, the WRC has

HIV antiretrovirals in drinking,

also provides a step-by-step

maintained a focus on EDCs

treated and natural water,

guidance as to how the Water

Where do you think the industry s focus should be to ensure continued water quality? Mining is the industry sector with the largest water quality impact (by volume) in South Africa. Mining and industry can potentially have significant impacts on water quality if effluent release and water use are not appropriately managed. Thus a strong focus on effluent management as means of reducing water quality impacts at a system or catchment level is encouraged. Industries need to constantly manage effluent from the source prior to discharge, develop waste treatment and water reclamation systems, protect affected aquatic ecosystems, support water sanitation projects or provide financial resources for waste treatment.

MAY/JUNE 2013

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER QUALITY

AQUAINNOVATE What is the current water quality situation in South Africa? Slowly but surely,

Mat Carlisle Water Security director are both experts and pretenders

alternative sources

This forces other

swimming in the same

questions... do

of water. Factors that

proverbial pond.

you wish to own

shape our thinking

South Africans are being

include the fact

and operate the equipment required to take

that all our municipal water is

responsible courses of action

treated to potable standards,

and enjoy the savings they

but less than 1% is used

oﬀer? Do you want to commit to

for drinking.

to this once plentiful resource is

Should water conservation get more of a focus? How should South Africans approach the subject of water conservation? A

resulting in water taking centre

strategic understanding

the cost of water going to be?

stage in all our thinking.

is required by answering

forced to contemplate the inconvenient truth of water being on the endangered list. The increasingly limited access

a particular technology? What is

Also, wastewater from domestic sources consist, on average, of 20% black (toilet)

a culture that just turns on the

water is used for, how much is

How important is water security and water quality?

taps ‒ at worst we need to walk

needed and where is your water

All these questions impact on

and reused. Then there s the

to a tap, but something comes

being used? Answering these

the decision to buy equipment

issue of rainwater harvesting,

out. High water costs, especially

questions by means of a simple

or to partner with a company

which proves to be ﬁnancially

in the commercial and industrial

ﬂow chart brings a

sectors, are forcing professionals

visual perspective

and government alike to rethink

to what s going on

their potable use. Not only is the

behind all the taps and

bottom line aﬀected, but the

the pipes in our walls.

For the most part, we ve been

future of water security impacts

questions like: What your

One of the key

water and 80% grey (washing) water, which can be treated

viable provided the

One thing is for certain, whether South Africans like it or not, the issue of water needs to be considered

right data and designs are employed. One thing is for certain, whether South Africans like it or not,

on continued operations and

ﬁndings the ﬂow chart

expansion of South Africa as

will reveal is that many

a nation.

of our water uses don t require

to provide sustainable

For the discerning and the

the quality drinking water that

water solutions.

responsible, Aquainnovate can

It s no surprise that the

the issue of water needs to be considered.

As a company concerned

whole subject of water savings

they currently use, for example

has now become a growing

toilet ﬂushing, washing and

with water security, we take a

part in water conservation while

business and, as with any new

industrial cooling, to name

strategic look at primary use,

making your bottom line look

and fashionable sector, there

a few.

reuse, potential savings and

hydrated in the process.

MAY/JUNE 2013

ensure that you ve done your

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MAY/JUNE 2013

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REGIONAL FOCUS

WESTERN CAPE

Sustainable solutions sought Sustainability has been a key focus in upgrading the Grabouw Sewage Treatment Works. Civil, water, and renewable energy engineering consultant at GIBB Dave Crombie discusses the unique and often challenging project with Chantelle Mattheus.

IBB

tendered

successfully

design the upgrades and exten-

way, and includes additional biological reac-

sions to the Grabouw Sewage Treatment Works, which will pro-

The upgrade has, however, not been without its challenges, one of which was the

tors and clariﬁers, says Crombie.

extended process for gaining environmental

Innovative insight to

approval, which was surprising, considering

vide increased sewage treatment capacity

According

Crombie,

innovative

for the residents of Grabouw, says Crombie .

approach to the design was the inclusion

The leading multidisciplinary engineering

of an unusual method for particulate COD

A further challenge was phasing the work

company was chosen on the basis of its

(chemical oxygen demand) and suspended

to ﬁt in with several options for funding and

the public support for the project, according to Crombie.

vast expertise and a proven track

record

renewable

energy projects. Grabouw forms part of the Theewaterskloof

Municipality,

a local municipality that falls under

the

jurisdiction

the resulting cash ﬂow con-

The innovative nature of the new process caught the imagination of the contractors, and the municipal officials and process controllers

straints. We also successfully assisted a civil contractor through a diﬃcult cash ﬂow situation while he was busy on this site, says Crombie. The innovative nature of the

the Overberg District Municipality in the

solids removal for further treatment in a

new process caught the imagination of the

Western Cape.

composting plant. The upgraded sewage

contractors, equipment suppliers and, most

The municipality identiﬁed the need for

treatment process makes use of a unique

signiﬁcantly, the municipal oﬃcials and pro-

the upgrade in 2007 and appointed GIBB

combination of equipment, in an innovative

cess controllers, and all have contributed to a

as the consulting engineer to design the

manner. Speciﬁcally, the process of taking

successful team eﬀort, says Crombie. 

works required.

dewatered sludge from the incoming raw

Phase 1 has been completed and at the time of going to print phase 2 was underway

Phase 1 is now complete and has been commissioned. Phase 2 is currently under

sewage directly to composting is being used for the ﬁrst time in the world, says Crombie.

MAY/JUNE 2013

No need for Maintenance

Rewarding progress For Crombie, the project has a number of highlights. Getting the support of the municipality for an unconventional approach to achieving the sustainability objectives they had set, was very encouraging. The commissioning was another highlight ‒ this was completed in a very short time, and achieving the correct operation did not pose many difficulties. According to Crombie, a further benefit of this design approach for the communities ‒ both in Grabouw and further afield ‒ is the energy efficiency of the works. In addition, the method of directly processing the incoming sewage particulate matter to produce compost is sure to find application elsewhere where there is a need for the upgrading of existing sewage treatment works and for new sewage treatment works. The specific restraints and attributes of the Grabouw Sewage Treatment Works have leant themselves to this approach, but these circumstances are not unique, says Crombie. Ultimately, the upgrade will mostly have a direct benefit for the local communities, as Crombie indicates. The upgrading of the sewage works is set to unlock the moratorium on property development. With this, the local economy will receive a boost, as well as facilitate an increase in employment opportunities. The final product ‒ compost ‒ has use in landscaping, initially along a barren constructed berm next to a major road running adjacent to the community. This will facilitate the establishment of vegetation to enhance the environment for them and for those travelling by. The product can also be used as a supplement in

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REGIONAL FOCUS the fruit tree orchards. The design ﬂow

applying the training in the operation of

is 8.5 Mℓ/d and produces some 5 to 10 t of

this new plant. Approximately 30 people

compost per day.

were involved at the peak of construction, both on- and oﬀ-site during fabrication and

A team eﬀort

construction. Eight permanent staﬀ are re-

The client, or employer in this case, is

quired to operate the plant, which operates

the

24 hours a day, concludes Crombie.

Theewaterskloof

Municipality,

with

Lektratek Water Technology appointed as the mechanical and electrical contractor (including screens and composting plant), with subcontractors Salsnes for the screens and HotRot for the composting plant. The hull of the composting plant was fabricated using precast concrete units specially manufactured by Cape Concrete, explains Crombie. Subcontractor for the electrical work was Service Electrical, the civil contractor was Nammic Engineering and GIBB was the project consultant. The entire team s collaboration served to ensure the project progress. The embracing of the unusual aspects of this plant by the contractors facilitated the implementation and commissioning of the new plant, explains Crombie. He says the most exciting aspect was the enthusiasm with which the process controllers received, and are

MAY/JUNE 2013

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REGIONAL FOCUS

WESTERN CAPE

Monitoring of school boreholes under way Monitoring of groundwater usage is under way at a number of schools in the Western Cape, following a programme to use less municipality-supplied water to irrigate sports fields and other open spaces at newly built schools.

RK Consulting, a leading group

Groenewald, is to set up a long-term record

the lower yielding boreholes show a more

of groundwater abstraction at each school.

immediate impact, he said. The lower yield-

consulting

engineers

and

scientists, was part of the project

This record will assist in making informed

commissioned by the Department

decisions regarding the sustainable abstrac-

of Transport and Public Works, in which it un-

tion of the groundwater resources, he said.

For one of the boreholes in this programme

dertook feasibility studies for 15 new schools

Once a record of water level and volumes

(illustrated in the graph), the recommended

in the province to establish whether enough

pumped has been established, the client can

pumping rate was 0.9 ℓ/s, while the actual

groundwater was available.

be advised to either reduce the pumping rate

pumping rate was about 1.2 ℓ/s.

Through

the

drilling

production

boreholes and the conducting of pump-

to increase the rate or leave it as is.

management guidelines.

The result was that the water level in the borehole reached the pump inlet after a cou-

ing tests, SRK was able to recommend

The initial irrigation demand levels used

that 12 schools pursue the process of

during the planning process were based on a

The monitoring showed that the recovery of

extracting groundwater.

weekly irrigation application of 25 to 35 mm.

the water level is still good and that the main

This

year,

groundwater

ple of hours of pumping, said Groenewald.

monitoring

The monitoring has shown, however, that

programme using ﬂowmeters and pres-

the actual demand during the ﬁrst season of

He emphasised the importance of monitor-

sure transducers has been initiated at

irrigation ranged between 40 and 60 mm, he

ing as a strategy to improve decision-making.

eight schools.

said. This is information that will be impor-

To date, the monitoring has shown that

tant for future groundwater developments at

deep pumping levels are caused by over-

new schools.

sized pumps and also possible biofouling of

A vital component of ensuring a sustainable supply of groundwater is to implement a

monitoring

programme,

said

problem is that the pump is oversized.

Leon

Groenewald adds that the monitoring has

Groenewald, principal hydrogeologist at SRK.

also shown that the level of management of

The monitoring will continue for at least a

We installed ﬂowmeters to record the total

the abstraction should be related to the yield

year, so that it spans a summer and winter

of the borehole.

season, after which time management rec-

volume of water that is being abstracted, and pressure transducers record the water level in each borehole on an hourly basis. The

or, if the impact of abstraction is acceptable,

ing boreholes would therefore need stricter

aim

the

monitoring,

The strong boreholes on this project do not show an impact yet, mainly because the

said

demand is lower than the supply, whereas

MAY/JUNE 2013

screens, he said.

ommendations will be made.

Drilling of emergency water supply borehole for a rural school in the Grabouw area

REGIONAL FOCUS

Africa ’s leader in natural resource and

ABOVE Irrigation of newly seeded sports fields in the Western Cape, using groundwater from a successful borehole BELOW The groundwater level monitoring at a school where a lowyielding borehole was established In

implementing

the

initial

development In another project, SRK was requested to

solutions

assist with establishing an emergency water supply for a rural school in the Grabouw area. The school was not connected to a municipal supply and no other source of water was available, so water was being

studies,

trucked in on a daily basis.

SRK conducted a hydrocensus and a de-

The steel casing of the existing borehole

tailed geophysical survey before drilling

was starting to rust and clay was entering

began to ensure the highest chance of

the cavity, said Groenewald. We followed

striking groundwater.

the same process as we did at the other

We complete the groundwater investiga-

schools: conducting a geophysical survey

tion in the early stages of the overall project

to locate the best possible position for

so that the landscaping planners know

drilling the new borehole, rather than drill-

what volume of groundwater is available,

ing blindly next to the existing borehole.

said Groenewald. They can then plan the

We did this because no data was available

size of the school s green areas accordingly.

on the old borehole, and we wanted

Previously, he said, the design of the sports ﬁelds and green areas was often

to minimise the risk of drilling a dry or low-yielding borehole.

done without a clear picture of the avail-

The blowout yield of the new borehole

able groundwater. The way this school

was about 5 ℓ/s, indicating suﬃcient ﬂow

project has been planned allows the pro-

for the purpose. The whole process ‒ from

ject managers to avoid a situation where

the geophysical survey to the equipping

the water requirements of the green areas

of the borehole, ﬁtting of a pump and

are higher than the yield of the borehole,

connecting up to the existing reticulation

he said.

infrastructure, took about two weeks.

Tel: + 27(0) 11 441 1111 www.srk.co.za

MAY/JUNE 2013

REGIONAL FOCUS

WESTERN CAPE

Swartland Pipeline nears completion Construction of phases 1 and 2 of the Swartland Bulk Water Pipeline in Gouda, Western Cape, commenced in May last year and has reached the final stages with an estimated completion date of mid-2013, Ehrane Holderness, UWP Consulting principal engineer, tells Chantelle Mattheus. ccording to Holderness, the project s back-

heavily reliant on ﬁshing, the majority of the economy

ground is fairly simple. A 525 mm Nominal

is bolstered by agricultural endeavours in the region, for

Diameter (ND) steel pipeline currently runs

which a continued sustained supply is a necessity.

between the Swartland Water Treatment

Therefore the impact of the project on the local water

Works at Voëlvlei Dam and the Kasteelberg Reservoirs at

supply network and the surrounding communities

Riebeek West. The pipeline was constructed in the 1970s

continued ability to access good quality drinking water

and is the main bulk water supply line for seven towns

cannot be underestimated, with the project set to ensure

in the Swartland municipal area. The West Coast District

that the district is able to meet water requirements of the

Municipality s 2010 Water Master Plan identiﬁed the need

current supply area until 2040.

for an additional parallel pipeline to meet future water requirements, mitigate the risk associated with having a

Project outline

single bulk supply line and to allow downtime for mainte-

The project, with an estimated cost of R70 million, in-

nance work on the existing pipeline, says Holderness.

volves the construction of a new 600 mm ND bulk water

The

ﬁve

municipalities

falling

under

the

pumping main between the Swartland Water Treatment

West

Works at Voëlvlei Dam and the Kasteelberg Reservoirs, ex-

Coast District Municipality are: • Swartland Municipality • Bergrivier Municipality • Matzikama Municipality • Cederberg Municipality

The pipeline incorporates surge mitigation measures such as air valves and check valves

• Saldanha Bay Municipality.

plains Holderness. The new pipeline must be constructed in parallel with the existing pipeline and be located in the existing 10 m wide servitude. The 17-km-long pipeline is a rising main with a static elevation diﬀerence of 225 m. A surge analysis was conduct-

The Swartland Regional Water Supply Scheme supplies

ed during the design stage in order to determine the type

Yzerfontein, Malmesbury, Darling, Riebeek West, Riebeek-

and extent of surge mitigation measures required, as well

Kasteel, Gouda and farms along the route with water it ab-

as the class of pipes to be used. The high-pressure section

stracts from the Voelvlei Dam, where it is treated as well.

of the pipeline will be constructed of continuously welded

The allocation from the dam to the Swartland Regional

steel pipes and the low pressure section with ductile iron

Water Supply Scheme is 4.2 million cubic metres per year.

pipes. Four tie-ins must be provided between the old and

Additionally, barring a few of the small towns that are

new pipeline for maintenance purposes. The pipeline incorporates surge mitigation measures such as air valves and check valves. The upgrading of the pump station to meet future water requirements and the provision of surge protection measures at the pump station do not fall within UWP s scope of work, explains Holderness.

Phased approach Construction of Phase 2 commenced in winter 2012 in order to optimise the use of funding in the applicable ﬁnancial year, says Holderness. She adds that above-average rainfall over a three-month period hampered construction progress and the works were therefore temporarily suspended for a one-month period. This was necessitated by concerns over quality control as well as problematic access to site owing to the wet conditions. Additionally, the pipeline route runs mainly across private agricultural land and construction access had to be negotiated with landowners. Although aﬀected parties

MAY/JUNE 2013

REGIONAL FOCUS high-pressure zones. Ductile iron was the preferred material from a financial point of view. However, continuously welded steel pipe was used in the high-pressure zones as insufficient space was available in the servitude for the thrust blocks associated with ductile iron pipes. In addition, phasing of the project was required in line with the availability of municipal funds. During Phase 1, 8 450 m of standard 600 mm ND Class K9 ductile iron pipes were ordered in advance. Phase 2, which will be completed in June 2013, entails the construction of 2 650 m of continuously welded 600 mm ND steel pipe and 9 050 m of 600 mm ND ductile iron pipe, of which 600 m was manufactured with restraining joints, continues Holderness. Phase 3 of the project will commence in 2014 and will entail the supply and construction of 2 600 m of 600 mm were very forthcoming in this regard, careful planning around the movement of construction vehicles was required during harvesting periods, says Holderness. At the project s peak, approximately 35 workers were on-site, including operators and supervisory staff.

The 17-km long pipeline is a rising main with a static elevation difference of 225 m

ND steel pipe and 1 900 m of 600 mm ND Class 30 ductile iron pipe. However, the design for the entire project was completed prior to Phase 2 commencing, says Holderness.

PRIMARY ROLE PLAYERS Client: West Coast District Municipality (Contract Engineer: Nic Faasen) Consulting Engineers: UWP Consulting Contractor: JVZ Construction

Diﬀerentiating factors According to Holderness, what makes this project diﬀerent is the use of ductile iron pipes for the lowpressure zones and continuously welded steel pipes in the

MAY/JUNE 2013

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REGIONAL FOCUS Challenging context

SUBCONTRACTORS & SUPPLIERS

Although the civil engineering aspects of the project are

Subcontractors: • Donnies Steel – welding of pipe joints • Subtech – magnetic particle testing of fillet weld joints • Khubeka – construction of valve chambers • RITC – radiographic testing of butt welds Sub-consultants: • IQS International – third-party welding inspections • Jeﬀares & Green – environmental control oﬃcer • Hayleth Gunter & Associates – health & safety auditor • EnviroAfrica – environmental impact assessment • SRK Consulting – geotechnical investigation • RWCS – third-party ductile iron pipe inspections • Waterflow Systems Software (Pty) Ltd. – surge analysis Primary suppliers: • Vakala Construction/L&G Pipes JV – ductile iron pipes for Phase 1 • L&G Pipes – ductile Iron pipes for Phase 2 (manufactured by Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes) • CSP Engineering and Fabrication – steel pipes (manufactured by Capital Star Steel) • Ultra Control Valves – air valves (manufactured by ARI valves) • Nolada 8 – gate valves (manufactured by DVD valves) and check valve (manufactured by Noreva) • Blue Drop – manufacturing and supply of steel specials

fairly straightforward, with no new technologies, processes or procedures really being implemented, this does not mean the project has been without its challenges. According to Holderness, these included diﬃcult accessibility to the site via informal dirt roads, which was exacerbated by wet conditions during the Western Cape rainy season. In addition, all construction activities such as stringing of pipes, excavation and storing of the topsoil for reuse had to be accommodated on a narrow servitude, and commercial bedding and ready-mix concrete had to be transported through private farmlands.

The new pipeline must be constructed in parallel with the existing pipeline

The highlight will be the successful completion of the interconnecting chambers and successful hydrostatic pressure testing of all the installations,

con-

cludes Holderness.

MAY/JUNE 2013

REGIONAL FOCUS

WESTERN CAPE

Pearly Beach uses ultrafiltration membrane technology The need for two separate water treatment requirements at different locations in the Western Cape holiday town of Pearly Beach has been resolved with a single solution: the use of ultrafiltration membrane technology, Herman Smit of Quality Filtration Systems tells Chantelle Mattheus. he ultraﬁltration membrane plant,

ﬁltration using sand ﬁlters located at the

well as operation and maintenance con-

which is manufactured locally, was

existing Pearly Beach Reservoir and disinfec-

siderations, the construction of a single

specially constructed to provide

tion by means of chlorination. The existing

water treatment works (WTW) for both the

for both the town s current and

sand ﬁlters, pipework and valves at the

Pearly Beach town and the new caravan

anticipated future requirements, as well as

Pearly Beach Reservoir, however, were due

park development was preferred to having

for new developments in the area, such as a

for replacement.

two separate WTWs, which would require

caravan park, says Smit.

replacing the existing sand ﬁlters, pipework

Caravan park priorities

and valves for the Pearly Beach town,

risdiction of the Overstrand Municipality,

The caravan park in the region was not sup-

explains Aartsma.

was historically supplied with water from

plied with water from the Pearly Beach Dam,

According to both Aartsma and Smit, the

the Pearly Beach Dam. The Pearly Beach

but was supplied with water from a diﬀerent

advantages of increasing the capacity of

Dam is supplied with water from existing

dam referred to as Koekemoer se Dam .

the required water treatment facility for

fountains. This water is typical fountain

Aartsma adds:

the caravan park development include

water and is of very good quality, according

dam is typical of the Western Cape brown

the following:

to both Smit and Henk Aartsma, principal

coloured water due to organic matter and

• high water losses associated with back-

technical manager: Water Sector, AECOM.

therefore treatment was required.

Pearly Beach, which falls under the ju-

Treatment of this water comprised only

With ultrafiltration, only a pinpoint flock has to be formed; thus saving in costs and dosing chemicals

Water supplied from this

washing the sand ﬁlters will be eliminated

During the development of the Pearly

• operation and maintenance costs of a

Beach caravan park in 2007, water supply to

single water treatment facility for Pearly

the caravan park would be integrated into

Beach should be lower compared to two

the water supply system of the Pearly Beach

water treatment facilities

town. To this eﬀect, one condition in the

• treatment of water using membrane ﬁltra-

services agreement between the developer,

tion technology will produce higher quality

PSP Properties, and the Overstrand

water compared to sand ﬁltration.

Municipality was twofold:

Overstrand Municipality therefore under-

i) that untreated water be allocated

took a feasibility study of the diﬀerent

from an existing dam on a sepa-

options and this resulted in the selection of

rate property of PSP Properties to

the ultraﬁltration plant.

meet the water requirements of

Overstrand Municipality agreed to the

the said development due to the

construction of a new single WTW with larg-

limitation in the yield from the

er capacity to treat water for both the Pearly

Pearly Beach Dam

Beach town and caravan park development.

ii) PSP Properties was required to

To this eﬀect the Overstrand Municipality

implement a water treatment

agreed to contribute the diﬀerence in the

facility for the treatment of water

costs between the smaller WTW required

for the caravan park develop-

for the caravan park development and

ment as the water from its dam is typical of the Western Cape brown coloured water (due to organic matter). On completion, the water treatment facility and related infrastructure for the development would be handed over to the Overstrand Municipality for the operation and maintenance thereof. Based on the cost comparison, water quality considerations as

MAY/JUNE 2013

TECHNICAL INSIGHT Smit, together with Lizemarie Tolken of the Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town, has written a paper on the project entitled Pearly Beach potable water plant: The use of ultrafiltration as the main treatment processes for the treatment of Cape brown water for potable use. The full paper can be requested from the editor at chantelle@3smedia.co.za or directly from Smit at herman@qualityfilters.co.za.

REGIONAL FOCUS a larger WTW for both the Pearly Beach

Standard for Drinking Water, the mem-

coagulant and the optimum dosing level

town and the caravan park development,

brane ﬁltration water treatment process is

combined with the most eﬀective blend of

says Aartsma.

an alternative treatment process compared

the two types of water, says Smit.

It was logical to consider one WTW with

to conventional water treatment.

The

main

conclusion

the

study,

a larger capacity that would not only be

At the time (in 2008/09), however, using

explains Smit, was that a 60:40 blend of

able to meet the summer demand of both

the membrane ﬁltration water treatment

white and coloured water, dosed with 1 to

the town and the development, estimated

process for treatment of the Western Cape

1.8 mg/ℓ ACH-based coagulant and treated

at 1 440 kℓ/d, but also anticipated needs of

brown

by ultraﬁltration can produce constant,

an expected population increase of 5 000

uncommon, and the water was commonly

people, which would have a major impact

treated using the conventional treatment

on local water resources. These future water

process, says Aartsma.

requirements were assessed at 2 360 kℓ/d,

coloured water was relatively

high-quality drinking water. The ﬁnal design of the plant was based on these ﬁndings. Chemical injection is

A study was undertaken in conjunction

done on the feed line, which feeds into

with the Cape Peninsula University of

a buﬀer tank for the ultraﬁltration plant.

Technology

optimum

This feeds through a strainer that removes

Signiﬁcant advantages

treatment procedure to produce constant,

the coarse particles. The strainer is a

According to Smit, ultraﬁltration is able to

high-quality drinking water for the local

protection precautionary measure for the

says Smit.

establish

remove the colloidal solids

ultraﬁltration membranes.

and large molecular weight organics

From

the

ultraﬁltration

implementing

plant the permeate ﬂows

the processes of coagulation

into a ﬁltrate tank. A waste

and

sump

ﬂocculation

before

connected

ﬁltration. With ultraﬁltration,

the

only a pinpoint ﬂock has to

for backwash collection,

be formed; thus saving in

says Smit.

costs and dosing chemicals. Ultraﬁltration

also

ultraﬁltration

plant

He adds that the ultraﬁl-

less

tration permeate can then

sensitive to pH changes in un-

be diverted through carbon

treated water, which can have

ﬁlters to remove excess

a negative impact on water

colour from the permeate

quality, says Smit.

until the plant setting can

Another signiﬁcant advan-

adjusted

accom-

tage of utilising this tech-

modate the higher colour

nology is that ultraﬁltration

in the feed water.In line

requires a smaller footprint, therefore having a smaller impact on the environment and resulting in minimised

monitoring before and after

Ultrafiltration is also less sensitive to pH changes in untreated water

chemical usage.

the ultraﬁltration plant ensures the continued production of good quality drinking water. Should the plant operate outside

Additionally, given the current skills

community from a blend of white and

the speciﬁcations, it will automatically shut

context in the water industry, the choice

coloured water supplied from the two

down, says Smit. Overstrand Municipality

of technology for the plant does not

diﬀerent sources.

reports that the drinking water is of a high

require highly skilled operation or full

optimal

time supervision.

the determination of the most eﬀective

treatment

Establishment of the procedure

included

quality and is now constantly available to the community.

Deciding to construct just a single WTW meant that the process was expedited, site assembly was fast and future upgrades accommodated due to the modular assembly capabilities, explains Smit.

Studied solution Since the water quality of the two water resources vary, the WTW had to be designed on the basis of a blend of the water from the two resources. According to Aartsma, based on the water quality information of the two water resources, conventional water treatment practices are commonly used when treating the Western Cape brown coloured water. What made this project unique, according to Aartsma, was that in order to treat water to the Class I Standard as per the SANS 241: 2006 South African National

PROJECT ROLE PLAYERS BKS was only rebranded as AECOM in November 2012, therefore this project was carried out under BKS. BKS was responsible for: • liaising with PSP Properties and Overstrand Municipality, and for a detailed evaluation of alternative water treatment technologies • determining the current and future capacity requirements, the hydraulic design as well as the design of the civil works, the bulk electrical supply system and some mechanical works. The detail design for the ultrafiltration membrane filtration water treatment process was carried out by Quality Filtration Systems under the design-and-build concept • overall project management in terms of project budget and costs, as well as contract administration and construction monitoring during construction. BKS was assisted by AVDM Consulting Engineers & Project Managers for the construction and monitoring of implementation of the civil works. Construction work was carried out by the following contractors: • Quality Filtration Systems – mechanical contractor responsible for the design and installation of the membrane filtration plant and mechanical equipment • Burmar Civils – civil contractor responsible for the construction of the civil works • Adenco – electrical contractor responsible for the upgrading of the bulk power supply system • Spectrum – specialist contractor responsible for the implementation of the telemetry system. MAY/JUNE 2013

AFRICAN FOCUS

MALAWI

Pump company wins turnkey contract WPIL/APE Pumps has won the R92 million contract to upgrade Chileka Pumping Station, in Malawi, as a turnkey project on behalf of the Blantyre Water Board.

his is the ﬁrst turnkey project to be announced

oﬀering

was

supply and project management as a turnkey service

bought by Indian pump multinational WPIL in

and obviating the need for the customer to employ a

June 2012.

project house.

APE

Pumps

since

the

company

manufacture,

ancillary

equipment

The scope of work comprises the supply, installation

The refurbished Chileka Pumping station is expected

and commissioning of eight multi-stage pumps with

to be commissioned in May 2014 and forms part of a

electric motors, all motor controls and associated valves,

broader, four-year project to rehabilitate the twin water

and civil work, including demolishing and rebuilding all

pipeline supplying the city of Blantyre from Walkers

concrete plinths and bases in the pump house. A secondary contract provides for inspection of the associated pipeline for leakage and examination of surge protection and sacriﬁcial cathodic protection. APE Pumps will report back to Blantyre Water Board with recommendations on all three. The eight pumps for Chileka will be Mather + Platt

Ferry on the Shire River. The €16 million (R186.87 million)

BELOW A multistage pump similar to those being supplied to the Chileka Pumping station in Malawi

project is funded by the World Bank, the European Union and the European Investment Bank. Completion of the overall project will improve water availability in low-income areas through construction of 363 community water kiosks and will reduce water losses from the current 48% to below 25%.

multi-stage units with capacities of 750 m3/h at heads of 550 m. Drive will be by eight 1 650 kW electric motors. The combined pump-motor efficiency will exceed 75%. Pump manufacture will take place at the APE Pumps/ Mather + Platt Wadeville works, with equipment for the electrical arm of the project being supplied by WPIL from India. This will include five 5 000 kVA transformers to lower the 11 kV supply voltage down to the 3.3 kV required by the motor controls. Besides the pumps themselves, APE Pumps will also supply all other mechanical and fluid handling equipment for the project, including valves and manifolds. The company will also oversee project implementation. The Chileka upgrade is the latest in a string of turnkey project work undertaken in Malawi by PSV, now incorporated into APE Pumps. The two companies are now operating as one entity under the APE Pumps umbrella,

design,

MAY/JUNE 2013

AFRICAN FOCUS

MOZAMBIQUE

Ultraflo for Chinanguanine DPI Plastics has assisted comprehensive irrigation solutions provider Irritech in completing a R4 million agricultural irrigation project in Mozambique.

PI Plastics supplied Irritech with

resistance and increased hydraulic capacity.

a total of 72 km of mPVC Ultraﬂo

The Ultraﬂo pipes for this particular project

pipes,

varying

in the region are expected to beneﬁt from the project.

diameters

were delivered in standard 6 m lengths and

According to DPI Plastics exports man-

of between 63 and 500 mm,

have a Class 6 pressure rating, with excellent

ager, Rajesh Naval, the Ultraﬂo range of

which were installed at the privately funded

frictional resistance and low wave celerity,

pressure pipes account for 90% of the

Chinanguanine project, located approxi-

thereby ensuring resistance to surges.

company s pipe export sales. mPVC has

mately 100 km north of Maputo.

Raciborski notes that Irritech was appoint-

proven to be highly popular in the African

irrigation

ed as the contractor to the Chinanguanine

market due to a combination of its strength,

specialist, Franek Raciborski, points out

project in May 2012 and was able to suc-

durability and cost eﬀectiveness ‒ which

that the Ultraﬂo range was selected due

cessfully complete its scope of work within

has resulted in sales worth more than

to its proven track record in the market.

six months.

Having been a DPI Plastics

R35 million in markets such as Mozambique,

Ultraﬂo is a high-quality pipe that has been

client for 20 years, I can rely on the compa-

Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Angola.

preferred by local contractors for a number

ny s professional and responsive approach

I am conﬁdent that this trend will continue

of years. What s more, mPVC is an excellent

towards Irritech. The Chinanguanine project

well into the future, with a strong possibility

material for irrigation, due to its durability

was no diﬀerent, and all the piping products

of expansion into new markets too.

and ductility.

were supplied timeously, with support and

Irritech s

owner

and

head

DPI Plastics technical and product manag-

service oﬀered on a round-the-clock basis.

er Renier Snyman highlights the fact that the

Naval notes that the addition of new large bore sizes, including 560 mm and 630 mm, will further beneﬁt the export customers as

Ultraﬂo pressure pipe system oﬀers design

Challenges & constraints

they currently have to import these sizes

engineers and contractors numerous advan-

He does, however, admit that Mozambique s

from overseas or run two pipes parallel to

tages, including a lower mass, higher impact

tropical weather proved to be a challenge.

each other to fulﬁl the requirements of large

Pontoon located on-site at the Chinanguanine project

Heavy rainfall resulted

bore pipe.

in on-site ﬂooding but,

Pietermaritzburg-based Irritech surveys,

as a result of innova-

designs and installs all types of irrigation

tive design, the inﬁeld

and prides itself on appropriate solutions

equipment

could

that take into account the client s particular

be removed and the

circumstances. Raciborski believes that the

pump stations mount-

company s all-in-one solutions oﬀering of-

ed on pontoons from

ten take into consideration a client s labour

the outset. As a result,

skills, transport costs, availability of spares

the project was com-

and other factors that extend beyond the

pleted in November

realm of traditional engineering. Coupled

2012, and the oﬃcial

with this is our proven ability to work in

handover took place in

remote and distant locations, employing

February 2013. A total

the resourcefulness of our energised staﬀ to

of 130 local farmers

maximum eﬀect.

MAY/JUNE 2013

AFRICAN FOCUS

BOTSWANA

Mines cleaning up wastewater Two of Botswana’s largest copper mining companies have contracted VWS Envig Botswana to supply containerised wastewater treatment plants to improve the quality of discharge water coming from mine camps.

copper

mining

project

in Isando and delivered it in March 2013.

at its mine camp in north-eastern Botswana.

has

Together, the plants will treat domestic

This trickling ﬁlter plant, along with

already received its new 90 m3/d

sewage generated by nearly 900 people to

all ancillary equipment, was completely

trickling ﬁlter treatment plant,

within legislated discharge standards, before

containerised and delivered in March 2013.

being released into surface water streams.

The customer opted to construct a separate

north-western

Botswana

which we delivered in December, Wayne

Taljaard,

general

manager

says at

A second copper mining company has

septic tank, which means both modular and

Veolia s Engineered Systems & Services.

commissioned a 75 m3/d trickling ﬁlter

civil construction principles will be used to

The entire solution was designed to be

wastewater treatment plant to upgrade

build this plant ‒ what we call a hybrid instal-

upgraded to 180 m3/d. We manufactured

sewage generated by roughly 350 residents

lation, explains Taljaard.

the second containerised plant at our factory

Typically, Veolia will include the septic tank within a standard 12 m container, which

Veolia’s modular water treatment plants address small-scale water problems in shorter time frames

allows the entire plant to be transported via road to remote locations. Containers are corrosion protected and completely watertight, and with minimal moving parts that need maintenance, they are ideally suited for operation in remote African settlements. Once installed, they are remote monitored and only need an operator to do a daily inspection, making them incredibly cost-eﬀective to run, he adds. VWS

Envig

signiﬁcantly

Botswana the

growing

semi-arid

country s

water market. Previous Veolia installations in the country include a large-scale reverse osmosis plant for a diamond mine near Francistown, as well as a large-scale demineralisation plant at a high-capacity power plant.

MAY/JUNE 2013

AFRICAN FOCUS

BOTSWANA

Maun drinking water supply ensured Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies South Africa’s subsidiary, VWS Envig Botswana, is to design, supply and commission a 6 000 m3/d potable water plant in Maun, northern Botswana.

he plant, located near the banks of

Botswana. To make this water suitable for

to remove the

the Thamalakane River, is scheduled

human consumption, we opted for clariﬁ-

organic particles that would otherwise settle

to be commissioned in September

cation by means of ballasted ﬂocculation

very slowly.

2013 and will be operated and

The Veolia-developed Actiflo™ will use a ballast to gather and settle impurities in the water

high-rate

maintained by Veolia for a subsequent sixmonth period. The new plant will augment

extremely light-weight

Veolia will install its patented Actiﬂo™ water

clariﬁcation

system.

Featuring footprints that are ﬁve times

the supply from existing underground

smaller

water sources that become impractical

the Actiﬂo™ will achieve rapid settling

to maintain during the nearby Okavango

with the help of Actisand™ ‒ a ballast

Delta s ﬂood season. To maintain con-

designed to rapidly ﬂocculate and settle

sumer demand during these periods,

organic particles.

the plant will source water directly from

than

conventional

clariﬁers,

After clariﬁcation, the water will be

the river.

polished with multimedia and granular

River water is high in dissolved organic

activated carbon ﬁlters, and ﬁnally disin-

compounds that give it its characteristic

fected before being fed into the town s

brownish colour and earthy smell and

pipeline system, explains Healy.

taste, despite its normally low turbidity,

Veolia is also responsible for a booster

says Peter Healy, MD at VWS Envig

pump and delivery pipelines.

MAY/JUNE 2013

IT IS TIME TO MANAGE RESOURCES MORE EFFECTIVELY Around the world, demands for water and energy continue to increase, making it essential to manage these vital resources more effectively in the long term. The ability to address this issue requires access to more frequent, accurate and integrated information about how water and energy are used. As a world leader in advanced metering and smart grid technologies, Itron helps utilities to overcome their everincreasing operational, regulatory and environmental challenges. Effective management of resources is at your ďŹ ngertips.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

GREYWATER

Is greywater recycling sustainable? Access to water is an urgent issue facing Southern Africa; nearly 100 million people lack adequate access to water. While access to water has become a global concern, solutions remain local, as scarcity varies from region to region depending on the combination of socio-economic factors, climate fluctuations and infrastructure. By Timony Siebert, environment consultant at Talbot & Talbot

ater scarcity is, however, on

and political controversy associated with

technology to eﬀectively accommodate and

the rise. Scientiﬁc projections

securing new sources of supply has encour-

treat wastewater or have functional water

draw

how

aged eﬀorts to ﬁnd new ways of meeting

service utilities (or legislative frameworks) to

predicted changes in rainfall,

current water requirements. The sustainable

assist in eﬀective water management.

limited resources for adaptation and lack of

reuse of greywater is a viable option that may

For many rural communities, greywater can

institutions and/or capacity to regulate river

help to lighten some of this pressure and

provide valuable sustenance for agricultural

and stream ﬂow are likely to leave communi-

could be a key strategy that reduces water

crops as well as meet a wide range of other

ties extremely vulnerable.

demand and increases its availability for pri-

social and economic needs. It utilises a valu-

mary users, such as domestic and animal life

able on-site resource and reclaims otherwise

or agriculture.

wasted nutrients. Many lower income or

attention

Climate change is also predicted to have profound implications on water resource supplies. Modelling by the Council for

rural communities live without access to a

Scientiﬁc and Industrial Research (CSIR)

A reusable resource

household water connection. In these com-

shows that regions in Southern Africa will

Greywater, although the deﬁnition varies in

munities, women and children often have

become hotter and drier over the next 50 to

diﬀerent parts of the world,

100 years, putting farms, industry, domestic

generally refers to water

water supply and natural ecosystems at risk.

from all non-toilet household

Combined with the social changes aﬀecting

activities and includes baths,

demand, quality and supply, these impacts

showers,

have the potential to seriously disrupt water

clothes washing machines

availability. As climate changes start to take

or the laundry. Toilet water

eﬀect, individuals and communities will take

and water from kitchen sinks

actions to respond to and accommodate

is considered black water, as

changes in water availability. This may be by

this contains elevated levels

expanding supply in a way that reduces cli-

of pathogens, nitrogen and

mate variations, or addressing water use and

other elements that require treatment at a

to walk long distances or wait in line in order

demand to reduce the exposure to climatic

sewage treatment works. Greywater con-

to access water, which then needs to be

variability and extremes.

stitutes the largest volume of water wasted

carried home.

washbasins

and

“An average household will consume between 200 and 300 ℓ of potentially reusable water on a daily basis.” Timony Siebert, environment consultant, Talbot & Talbot

through general consumption. An average

In these households, reusing water in the

Increasing demand

household (family of four) will consume be-

home and for household gardens/horticul-

Such implications are especially pertinent for

tween 200 and 300 ℓ of potentially reusable

ture is critical as it reduces the reliance on

communities and countries that rely heavily

water on a daily basis. Between 50 and 80%

freshwater supplies while contributing to

on water for their GDP and daily subsistence.

of water wasted could be reusable greywater.

food production, thereby improving rural

More than 70% of SADC s population de-

By appropriately matching water quality

livelihoods. In developed countries, the use

pends directly on farming ‒ and overwhelm-

to water need, the reuse of greywater can

of greywater has already reduced freshwater

ingly so on rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture

replace the use of potable water in non-pota-

demand, strain on wastewater treatment

already accounts for almost 70% of the

ble applications like toilet ﬂushing and land-

plants and energy consumption. Aquifer

global water diversion, and the pressure for

scaping. This could oﬀer signiﬁcant savings

recharge is improved in some areas due to in-

agricultural production is not likely to ease, as

in water usage as well as supplement basic

creased inﬁltration ﬂows and plant growth is

food security is one of the major Millennium

water supplies during times of restriction

supplemented from the additional nutrients

Development Goals. But with an emerging

or scarcity. The reuse of greywater will also

present in the outﬂow water. Water savings

economy and rapidly growing population,

reduce the requirement for wastewater treat-

are consequently increased and expenses

the demand for water by municipal and

ment by reducing the hydraulic ﬂow received

reduced, as consumption of municipality

industrial sectors in many cities in Africa is

by the utilities. This will become increasingly

controlled freshwater supplies in these urban

likely to increase the competition for water.

important as wastewater generation from

and peri-urban areas is decreased.

It is expected that water that has historically

cities is expected to reach unprecedented

been reserved for agriculture will be diverted

volumes in the coming decade due to rapid

Conscious control

to the urban and industrial sectors.

urbanisation in cities across Africa. Disposal

The use of greywater needs to be carefully

Growing global pressures for freshwater

of wastewater is a serious problem in African

controlled and monitored, as the inherent

resources and the increasing scarcity, cost

cities as many cities lack the infrastructure or

nature of the outﬂow water will vary

MAY/JUNE 2013

INDUSTRY INSIGHT according to the source. The temperature

Good education, management and

and nutrient value contained in greywa-

monitoring policies will be required

ter provide the perfect environment for

anaerobic bacteria to breed and produce

greywater

by-products such as methane and hydro-

beneﬁts will still greatly outweigh

gen sulphide. Furthermore, the original

the input required.

ensure

eﬀective usage;

community

however,

the

constituents used ‒ such as phosphates or

However, if used in an environ-

boron in washing powder, which may be

mentally friendly manner, the risks

toxic to plants at high concentrations; or

associated with the reuse of grey-

salts, which may impact on the saline lev-

water to the environment are low.

els of the soil ‒ may cause soil contamina-

The topsoil is the most biological

tion or, worse, leach into the groundwater.

active layer of the soil proﬁle and if

Unchecked, the use of greywater has the

the system is not overloaded, it can

potential to cause harm to both human

eﬃciently remove excess nutrients

health and the environment. The receiv-

from

ing environment cannot neutralise and

organic

assimilate all greywater pollutants, so the

and sediment.

the

greywater,

material,

including

nutrients,

salt

responsibility lies with users to ensure that

This preserves natural ground-

the quality and quantity of their greywater

water sources and may result in

meets

additional recharge of groundwater

the

appropriate

requirements.

sources in areas where the water

TIPS

table is suﬃciently high. Greywater

Tips on reducing health and environmental risks for small-scale application of greywater from households (adopted from www.oasisdesign.net/greywater): • avoid sprinklers to distribute greywater, rather use subsurface irrigation systems • do not put greywater on food plants • do not allow pets to drink the greywater • do not allow greywater to leave your block or enter stormwater systems • do not irrigate with greywater during periods of wet weather • monitor nuisances such as odours or ponding • carefully select soaps and detergents for household use that contain fewer toxins and are environmentally friendly • do not store greywater for more than 24 hours before reuse.

therefore oﬀers a variety of opportunities as well as challenges. Greywater technologies do exist, but the availability, use and policies for

of the user or surrounding community. At

such technology vary widely around the

a smaller, more local scale, the beneﬁts

world. Many regions lack clear regulations

cannot be underestimated. These include

or standards regarding greywater capture

reduced reliance on potable freshwater

and reuse. Rural communities certainly

for non-potable related activities, supple-

may not have access to adequate knowl-

mentation of basic water supplies in times

edge, infrastructure or funds to assess and

when demand outstrips supply or during

treat greywater before reuse, should this

times of restriction or scarcity, reduced

be required.

loads on wastewater disposal systems and

Therefore the implementation of grey-

reductions in costs.

water reuse beneﬁts from a participatory

Small demonstration projects and new,

approach and an understanding of the

more ﬂexible, greywater policies have

inherent nature of the source of the water,

demonstrated the successful use and ben-

as well as the direct needs and concerns

eﬁts of greywater at multiple scales.

MAY/JUNE 2013

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SPECIAL FOCUS

NORTH WEST PROVINCE

A specialised solution A specialised SMART technology was recently implemented at the newly constructed 2.5 Mℓ Swartruggens plant in the North West. Headstream Water Solutions’ chief consulting engineer, Stephen Pickering, tells Chantelle Mattheus that the technology will revolutionise the local water sector.

he technology is perfectly posi-

The ﬁxed biomass reactor operates at a

number here ‒ of about 1 kg of oxygen per

tioned for upgrading all the over-

very high MLSS, or rather an eﬀective MLSS

kilowatt. The newer systems for suspended

loaded treatment works locally. It is

because of the way it works. You have a large

biomass, which would be ﬁne bubble dif-

akin to putting a turbocharger on a

surface area reactor that is relatively small in

fused air and similar, run at 2 kg of oxygen

physical terms, but through it you have an

per kilowatt. The HYBACS core can run in

MLSS in the region of 50 000, which is huge,

the region of 6 kg of oxygen per kilowatt as

he continues.

each SMART unit only uses on average 1.5

car, explains Pickering. Due to the nature of the equipment and Headstream s focus on eﬃciency, it can be deployed very rapidly. We can do a 50%

The eﬀect of having this large biomass is

kilowatts per hour (one SMART unit treats

upgrade on a plant in three to six months

there is a signiﬁcant shift in the mass trans-

approximately 8 000 population equivalent).

without major civil works, says Pickering.

fer characteristics that control the core of

SMART technology

wastewater treatment, which is the transfer

Signiﬁcant advantages

of oxygen into water.

According to Pickering, the system delivers a

The HYBACS process is a combined ﬁxed

That is the rate limiting factor in all current

signiﬁcant reduction in power consumption,

biomass reactor working in conjunction

eﬄuent treatment systems. Surface aerators

with a recent analysis done by a consulting

with a traditional-type suspended biomass

are very popular with sectors of the industry

engineer showing a 28% reduction in

reactor ‒ two very speciﬁc components.

in this country. They are virtually unused

electrical power for the complete secondary

The HYBACS core, which we call the SMART

anywhere else in the world because they

and tertiary treatment. If we can reduce the

(shaft mounted advanced reactor tech-

are ineﬃcient as they only deliver an oxygen

power consumption by 28% on the aeration

nology) unit, is the ﬁxed biomass reactor.

transfer ‒ and I will use an approximate

system alone, we not only reduce our exposure to ever increasing energy costs, but also reduce demand on our already strained electricity supply, says Pickering. However, power saving does not yet seem to be the primary focus within the industry although awareness is increasing, according to Pickering, and recent experience also shows a preference for large civil structures and an aversion to mechanical equipment. This is despite the robust nature of the equipment,

better

cost

eﬃciency

and

operational advantages modern mechanical equipment can deliver.

Changing

mindsets and encouraging people to be innovative is certainly a challenge for us. The solution also seems to have signiﬁcant MAY/JUNE 2013

SPECIAL FOCUS cost-saving implications ‒ theoretically.

units is minimal: grease the bearings and

the location. Apart from the ageing infra-

In-depth analysis has been done by our

change gearbox oil once a year. Very simple,

structure, the development in the Bojanala

says Pickering.

Region under the jurisdiction of the Bojanala

principals in the UK on this, but they are only theoretical analysis and their estimation is

The system does, however, use dissolved

Platinum District Municipality, meant that

that on a greenﬁeld site you can be looking

oxygen probes for speed control to optimise

the plant was now also under capacity. The

at a 30% reduction in capex and a 40% re-

the process and although there is a built-in

biggest problem across the country, in my

duction in opex, he says, adding that on an

cleaning system, these probes should be

view, is the rapid increase in service delivery

upgrade cost savings are signiﬁcantly higher

checked manually every three months.

in certain areas to certain sectors of the pop-

because the HYBACS technology is then

However, it does not impact on the general

ulation that didn t previously have services.

leveraging existing infrastructure to provide

operation of the system. There are so many

Many new homes, properties and buildings

a signiﬁcant increase in treatment capacity

fail-safes built in that if the probes are not

have had reticulated sewage brought in

and performance. You don t replace the

reading it still operates, it is just not fully

and of course that increases the load on the

entire infrastructure, you reuse it and add

optimised, notes Pickering.

works, continues Pickering.

Swartruggens investigated

cases the increased load has not been ad-

On the Swartruggens Wastewater Plant

dressed and the plants are therefore signiﬁ-

speciﬁcally, the consultant is a convert.

cantly too small. The consultant in this case

Another advantage of the HYBACS process ‒

He saw the energy advantages, the cost

opted for the construction of a new plant,

and the installation of the SMART bioreactors

savings in plant and as a result he speciﬁed

utilising HYBACS technology at the core as

‒ is the minimal maintenance necessitated.

the process, he explains. The end product

the speciﬁed process. We then provided to

Generally, the maintenance on the SMART

is discharged into local water course, so

him the process designs and the consultants

certain mechanical modiﬁcations and the SMART reactors.

Straightforward and simple

Unfortunately, in a large majority of the

reliability

did the detailed design around that, includ-

treatment was

ing the intake works, the civil design and the

also critical ‒

plant layout, to accommodate the process.

diﬀerent

As Pickering explains, Swartruggens is not

to any other

a big plant; it is a very small 2.5 Mℓ/d plant

plant in the

treating predominantly domestic sewage.

country.

There is not a lot of industry and not even a

The town is located the

a degree, a lot of tankerage coming in, which

Elands

is generally quite high in concentration as

River and an old

lot of agro-industry in the region. There is, to

near

opposed to the normal waterborne sewage.

sewage

Aside from the operational advantages de-

was

scribed, a big advantage from Headstream s

already

side is that instead of the traditional mechan-

existence

ical equipment requiring the contractors to

works

be on-site for weeks to install it, they were in and out within a number of days because of the high degree of off-site pre-assembly with the SMART units being assembled offsite. That is the physical core component that we supply for the HYBACS process. We supply the technology, which is the design, and the core component, he says. The Swartruggens plant comprises two SMART reactors and has been up and running for over a year now. According to Pickering, the effluent quality visually is excellent , with the highlight having been just the simplicity of going in and switching it on and leaving it running. And then no comebacks after that ‒ it was as simple as that. At Headstream Water, we are very interested in having a very long-term relationship with clients and the plants that we build. We are not a contractor whose services cease at the end of the responsibility period. Although we are not under contract to do so, I regularly go out to the plant to check that there are no hiccups, and that the required level of service will continue, he concludes.

MAY/JUNE 2013

Ideal upgrade solution to expand treatment capacity of existing overloaded wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in a cost effective manner while delivering signiÀcant energy savings.

SMART TM units with highly concentrated Fixed Biomass

Suspended Biomass Aeration Reactor

Secondary Settlement Tanks (Clarifiers)

HYBACS Process Introduction to HYBACS® wastewater treatment technology:

HYBACS vs TrĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů AS

ĐƟvated Sludge PrŽĐĞƐƐ

HYBACS® is Bluewater Bio’s patented HYBrid ACtivated Sludge process for nutrient removal. The process consists of two biological stages followed by clarification.

2xQ AS AeraƟŽŶ Tanks

AnŽxic

• The first stage comprises Bluewater Bio’s Shaft Mounted Advanced Reactor Technology (SMART TM) units, containing attached biomass

1xQ

• The second stage is conventional activated sludge, with suspended biomass The very high biomass concentration in the SMART TM unit removes up to 50% of the COD / BOD in the wastewater at high efficiency. The reduction in load enables an activated sludge process to achieve better effluent quality, particularly the removal of ammonia. HYBACS® is especially applicable to upgrading existing activated sludge plants to treat increased loads and improve effluent quality. HYBACS® is commercially proven with over 25 international reference sites and 2 operating in South Africa and a third under construction. It has been demonstrated that HYBACS® can produce effluents with qualities that comply with the most stringent South African nutrient removal standards.

Key beneÀts of the HYBACS® process: The core benefit of HYBACS® is that it delivers like-for-like nutrient removal performance, at reduced capital and operational costs, compared with conventional activated sludge (AS) processes (see diagram). • Removes up to 50% COD in the first stage SMART TM units • Reduces physical footprint by up to 50% • Intrinsically odourless • Reduces power consumption associated with aeration by up to 50% • Reduces chemical consumption for nutrient removal

ClarŝĮer

HYBACS PrŽĐĞƐƐ 2xQ

Up tŽ 50% Žf COD remŽved ŝŶ SMART ƵŶŝƚƐ at very high aeraƟŽŶ eĸĐŝĞŶĐǇ – 3x that ŽĨ the AS aeraƟŽŶ tĂŶŬ

AS aeraƟŽŶ tĂŶŬ vŽůƵŵĞ reduĐĞd by 50%

AeraƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŵŝǆŝŶŐ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐĂů ĐŽŶƐƵmƉƟŽŶ reduĐĞd by ƵƉ ƚŽ 50%

SMART 1

AS AeraƟŽŶ Tanks

AnŽxic

units

ClarŝĮer

1xQ 3

• Reduces embedded & emitted carbon • Ideally suited to upgrade treatment capacity of existing AS plants • Significant CAPEX savings on retrofit applications • Modular construction enables rapid deployment • Scaleable from 0.2mℓ/d to >100mℓ/d

JHB office 381 Surrey Avenue, Ferndale 2194 Tel: 011 886 7805 Stephen Pickering stephen@headstreamwater.co.za Xoliswa Motsohi xoli@headstreamwater.co.za Cape Town Office: 17 Loader Street, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: 021 418 4080 Julian Moore julian@headstreamwater.co.za

Introduction to Headstream Water Solutions: Headstream Water’s mission is to provide practical and sustainable WATER technologies to protect the environment, uplift communities and make a meaningful contribution towards the efficient use of water and energy resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. Headstream Water Solutions is the exclusive distributor of the HYBACS® process in Sub Saharan Africa and is a member of the Thebe Investment Group.

SPECIAL FOCUS

GAUTENG

Pipe repair prioritised What do you do with a leak that is wreaking havoc on your potable water network? There are only two options. A person can either re-pipe, or repair it with Nu Flow’s trenchless relining technology, says SA Leak Detection’s David Wade.

companies

inspected for integrity and spot repairs are

be repaired with this system, says Wade.

have removed coverage on

made to excessively worn out joints and

This is because of the presence of a felt

water damage from houses,

ﬁttings; temporary bypass water piping may

sleeve that is impregnated in the epoxy.

body corporates, homeowner

be installed. The system is drained and air-

A rubber bladder is then inserted into

associations, ﬂats and complexes due to

dried. After testing for leaks, the pipes are

the felt sleeve and then inserted into the

continual water damage claims as a result of

prepared for cleaning.

pipeline. The rubber bladder expands as

any

insurance

failing pipe systems. System failure in aged

Pipes are dried with heated, compressed

it is inﬂated and, when inﬂated, the epoxy

pipe networks is inevitable and in order

air and a safe abrading agent is blown

impregnated sleeve then sets. You are basi-

to bring the networks back to life, one can

through the pipe system, sandblasting it

cally making a new pipe inside the old pipe.

either choose to re-pipe or rehabilitate.

clean. After cleaning, the epoxy coating is

With plastic pipes speciﬁcally, the epoxy

Replacing pipes is costly and time consum-

applied to the pipes by using conditioned

relining is stronger than the original pipes

ing, and involves mess, noise and rubble as

air to uniformly distribute the epoxy

and this system can be applied to pipes with

throughout

the

pipe

segment. Following the coating

ﬂows through the pipe

Residential and commercial applications

to facilitate epoxy curing.

Both systems can be applied to both

When the epoxy is cured,

residential and commercial applications,

valves

couplings

with the team recently having complet-

are reﬁtted and a ﬁnal

ed a residential project in Morningside,

leak test and inspection

Johannesburg, with minimal intrusion for

conﬁrms the integrity of

the owner. The copper pipes were running

the line. Water quality,

under a slab on the property. By using this

volume and ﬂow tests can conﬁrm the func-

system, the owner avoided having to break

tionality of the system.

open the slab to identify the source of the

and

leak, says Wade.

well as scarring to the building or structure s

Added advantages

original state, especially when the pipes are

Pipe relining is primarily used to repair leaks

within historical buildings. It is no wonder

in pipe, but has other beneﬁts, including

property owners are looking for alternatives

increased ﬂow rate. In addition, because

to re-piping in order to avoid the downtime

the water is no longer in contact with the

and destruction. In order to avoid these

metal, no rust and corrosion can occur in the

damages and reconstruction costs, pipe

relined pipeline.

rehabilitation technologies are a solution to update the systems.

Structural lining

Nu Flow relining systems are able to

The structural lining system is used for re-

reline 15 to 300 mm pipe diameters on

pairing drainage pipes. The diﬀerence with

AC, copper, PVC, HDPE, earthenware and

this system is that you can ﬁx large holes in

galvanised pipes.

pipes. A whole section of missing pipe can

Nu Flow has two diﬀerent relining systems: epoxy coating (the red system), which is speciﬁcally tailored for potable water pipe networks, and structural lining (the blue system) designed for relining drainage pipe.

Epoxy coating Epoxy coating process for water and mechanical systems begins with an inspection to determine the problematic areas and pipe dimensions. The piping system is

inches (300 mm).

application,

continuous controlled air

The introduction of the red epoxy into the pipe network also substantially reduces build up in the pipes

diameters measuring between 2 and 12

EXCITING IMPORT The Nu Flow relining technology, which has been imported from Canada where it has been used for more than two decades now, involves two systems: one for potable water pipes and the other for drain pipes. The systems rehabilitate the inner infrastructure of deteriorated or failing pipes by using an epoxy resin to reline the inside of such pipes. MAY/JUNE 2013

PROCESS UNPACKED In the potable water pipe relining system, the pipe network is first sand-blasted to clean the pipe interior before the red epoxy is air blasted through the network. The epoxy unfolds itself evenly due to the air pressure, attaining an even lining throughout. The potable water system can be applied to pipe diameters from 15 to 300 mm. According to Wade, the steps are as follows: Step 1: the pipeline is tested for leaks Step 2: use utility location equipment to trace the lines and locate the pipes in question Step 3: remove all taps and valves on the network. Step 4: hoses running from the compressor are attached to each of these points Step 5: introduce epoxy to the pipe network Step 6: the epoxy takes about 8 hours to cure Step 7: the result is a relined pipe repaired from the inside.

SOUTH AFRICA

™

Leaking Pipes? Why re-pipe? There’s a better way! How it Works

BELOW The Transnet building in Wolmarans Street, Johannesburg

Step 1 The pipe is tested for leaks.

On a larger scale, Nu Flow recently relined the main water line to Transnet-owned property in Wolmarans Street,

Step 2

Johannesburg. The 50 mm galvanised potable main line into

An abrading agent is then air blasted through the pipe to remove all rust and corrosion.

the building and header tanks was leaking and ﬂooding the basement of the building, he explains. The preparation for the project included the team ﬁrst tracing the pipe using their utility location equipment. The pipe runs beneath a concrete

Step 3

slab and within the basement walls. Replacing the pipe was

An epoxy mixture is then blasted through the pipe with conditioned air to uniformly distribute the epoxy lining through out the pipe segment.

not an option. We relined the 50 mm main line with an epoxy coating without having to chop through the concrete slab and basement walls, says Wade. The job took Nu Flow a fraction of the time that replacing the pipes would have taken.

Result The result is a relined pipe, repaired from the inside. No damage to structures! No chasing walls! No digging!

Ensuring success Nu Flow provides a 10-year warranty on the sections of pipe that have been relined. Both relining systems are capable of relining around bends eﬀortlessly, as well as Ts in pipes. The technologies are available for plumbing and mechanical contractors to acquire and oﬀer to their customers.

Are you concerned about elbows & tees in pipes? Nu Flow re-lining process can effortlessly get around 90 degree bends!

Before

After

From 15mm - 300mm AC / Copper / PVC/HDPE / Earthenware / Galvanized

licensee please contact us

Tel: (+27) 11 425 3379

FEATURE

RESERVOIRS & BOREHOLES

Storage capacity doubled

Mangaung Metro has appointed infrastructure solutions company Bigen Africa to monitor the design and construction of a reservoir that will meet the 2015 water requirements of Bloemfontein’s rapidly growing southern suburbs. The company will also design the bulk supply pipeline from the reservoir to planned suburbs. he 45 Mℓ reservoir, which will be

rapid expansion in the city s southern sub-

at the bottom to 350 mm at the top. The

built at Longridge in the south of

urbs, says Bigen Africa s civil engineering

initial roof slab design ‒ a 300 mm thick

the city, will nearly double the 47 Mℓ

principal, Robert Moﬀat. These include the

post-tensioned ﬂat slab on a column grid of

storage capacity of the two existing

recently awarded housing projects in Hillside

10 x 10 m ‒ was rejected by the contractor,

reservoirs there. The metro realised that the

View and Vista Park Extensions 2 and 3, as

Ruwacon, in favour of precast columns and

current storage capacity was insuﬃcient to

well as expected demand from the planned

slab panels, so that wall, ﬂoor and roof can

meet the expected 2015 demand due to the

Liege Valley suburb.

be constructed separately and therefore

Erection of the reservoir’s internal columns and precast roof sections

Both the reservoir and the pipeline will

simultaneously. The result is a considerable

be the largest projects in their respective

saving in construction time, from an envis-

categories for Bloemfontein. They will serve

aged 22 months to 16 months. The whole

about 16 000 households in

project, in fact, has progressed so rapidly

Liege Valley and Hillside View,

since commencement in September 2011

with further capacity to pro-

that completion is due in December.

vide water to the Grasslands area (12 000 households). Always looking for ways to

reservoir, which will be 11.3 km long, with

improve existing technology

the pipeline diameter starting at 800 mm

and reduce expenses, Bigen

and tapering to 500 mm. Various draw-oﬀs

Africa has taken a fresh ap-

will occur along the way. The tender should

proach to the project and con-

already be out by mid-2013.

sidered various design options.

According to Annette van Zyl, communi-

For the reservoir, both a rec-

cations manager at Bigen Africa Services,

tangular and a circular design

Bigen Africa does not only involve itself in

were considered, but

massive supply projects such as this, but

the latter was found

also gets its hands dirty by managing con-

to be the more eco-

tractors working on various water conser-

nomical and optimal

vation and demand management projects

dimensions were es-

to curb losses and improve billing on the

tablished. These are a

demand side. These projects range from

diameter of just under

repairing leaky residential water meters to

75 m and wall height

ﬁxing leaks on larger diameter pipelines,

of 11.4 m, with the

valves or reservoirs, and refurbishing ageing

wall

post-tensioned

infrastructure in pump stations. Such smaller

circumferen-

projects are, nevertheless, vitally important

both tially

and

vertically,

and

tapering

from

a 700 mm thickness

A separate tender is required for the distribution main from the new Longridge

MAY/JUNE 2013

to Mangaung s water loss reduction plan to ensure that there is enough water for all the people of Mangaung.

FEATURE

RESERVOIRS & BOREHOLES

20 kℓ KwaZuluNatal tank installation successful The installation of a 20 kℓ tank at Ndwedwe Clinic in Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal, by SBS Tanks has been completed successfully, Mava Gwagwa, SBS Tank’s new business and key accounts director, tells Chantelle Mattheus. he tank was sized to hold 20 kℓ of

Construction was appointed to build the ring

raw materials from suppliers in the Durban

water and SBS Tanks was respon-

beam. The reservoir was used to store water

area, resulting in prompt delivery, rapid im-

sible for the manufacture and

for use in the clinic, explains Gwagwa.

provements and response times to any crises

installation of all tank parts, says

He proudly adds that all installers have

that may occur. We are also gearing our

Gwagwa, adding that the tank installation

all necessary health and safety training, in

operations for ISO 9001 accreditation, which

was successfully completed in July 2012 and

addition to installation training.

we expect to achieve by the end of this year,

has performed extremely well to date. According to Gwagwa, the ring beam was

said Delayne Gray, managing director of SBS.

SBS launches new range SBS Water Systems formally announced

Tanks to complete the manufacture of the

its new Proudly South African SBS Tanks

ing from 12 kℓ to a staggering 3.3 Mℓ measur-

tank in the same month. This meant delivery

product range at a recent launch event held

ing 21 m in diameter and 9 m in height. They

and installation was on time for July 2012.

in Durban on 19 March 2013. The launch

are targeted at a diverse user base, including

This was further assisted when, according

was a huge success with over 75 guests

the rural/domestic market, food and bever-

to Gwagwa, no challenges arose during the

attending, ranging from clients and suppli-

age, mining, ﬁre protection, municipal and

installation on-site or with the client. All

ers to representatives from various district

water conservation.

deadlines were met as agreed, he says.

municipalities, business partners and some

Manufacture of the SBS Tanks of this size and nature takes less than ﬁve days from

international guests.

Zincalume panels with internal liners rang-

We have made a point of sourcing local

from Jim Martin & Associates) and manufac-

conﬁrmation

the

tured using proven tech-

order

received,

nology and high-quality

It takes

materials, SBS Tanks have

two people to install the

a range of standard and

tank, which is complete

special ﬁttings available to

within a day. This is not

meet many industrial and

a very big tank, therefore

engineering requirements.

manufacturing

and

The wall panels and roof

installation time is rapid.

sheets are made of hot-

All tank parts are trans-

dipped steel and coated

ported on our vehicles to

with a molten alloy, mak-

the site which provides a

ing them highly resistant

cost-eﬀective option for

to corrosion. The tanks

the client.

carry a 10-year non-leak

being

says Gwagwa.

The entire cost of the

warranty

and

ongoing

project invoiced to client

manufacturer

was less than R10 000,

but have an estimated life

including materials and

span of more than 60 years

installation.

under normal climate and

The client

was API Pumps, and KJM

The tanks are made out of premium quality

completed last year, which allowed SBS

support,

operational conditions. MAY/JUNE 2013

FEATURE

RESERVOIRS & BOREHOLES

Celebrating 30 years of success In 1983 Abeco’s founder, Mannie Ramos, started the company with the aim of satisfying the ever-increasing need for hygienic storage of one of life’s essentials: water. “30 years on, we have erected more water tanks in Southern Africa than anyone else,” Ramos tells Chantelle Mattheus. amos attributes the success of the

the process of designing its new oﬃce block.

the most interesting memories has to be the

organisation to the quality of the

Once completed, we will be having a big

installation of ﬁve 500 m3 tanks on 25-metre

product. We have one of the best

function celebrating how far the business

stands located on the north-eastern coast

water tanks in the market and with

has come and thanking both clients and

of Central America, says Ramos, explaining

this quality product we have maintained

staﬀ members who have been with us from

that this was because the structure had to

touch with our customers and been able to

day one, as well as loyal clients who have

be designed to withstand hurricanes, which

provide excellent backup service. Through

supported us since, says Ramos.

had historically played a devastating role in area.

hard work we have been able to lay the groundwork for our long-term growth op-

Then and now

tions, says Ramos, adding that throughout

According to Ramos, Abeco has installed in

north Africa. Africa is the future, but it is not

the past 30 years Abeco has also endeav-

excess of 20 000 water tanks over the past

for the faint-hearted and we have been able

oured to constantly ﬁnd new and innovative

30 years on almost every continent. One of

to stick it out and, to date, have supplied

The next frontier for him is dominating

over 30 countries with our tanks. It is also

ways of doing business. As proof of its continued growth and sustainability, the organisation is currently in

BELOW An example of a recent Abeco elevated tank installation

the continent that will deﬁne the water industry of tomorrow, according to Ramos, because it is the second driest continent after Australia and in order to address this issue of water scarcity, investment will be required to improve wells, rainwater catchment systems and to install more Abeco tanks . Ramos adds that he believes the industry will become even more competitive than it is today and most companies will continue to try to increase their global footprint.

Focusing on the future Currently Abeco is going from strength to strength and our vision, mission, objectives and strategy are well aligned. Our brand is well-known throughout Africa and we have structured ourselves to ensure we retain our competitive position in the market place, says Ramos. According to him, the reason for this is threefold. Firstly by capitalising on all my experience gained over the last 38 years in the pressed steel tank market and with my youngest son joining 10 years ago and then more recently my eldest son, after studying overseas, there are future leaders dedicated to building the organisation and secondly by increasing our manufacturing facility from 1 000 m2 in 1983 to the current 25 000 m2 to meet the demands of forecasted production. Finally, we have adapted our product range to take us into the wastewater, dry bulk storage and digester markets. With this in place, we are able to adapt to the changes in the industry and meet future growth projections, concludes Ramos.

MAY/JUNE 2013

Bringing water to Africa and the rest of the world for

ELEVATED TANKS: ABECO offers full-service design, manufacture and installation of support towers steelwork. Basic towers consisting of the support steelwork with a caged access ladder to the roof of the tank are offered in the absence of further specification. Walkways around the base of the tank or rest platforms on access ladders are available on request. Access is required all around pressed steel tanks to tighten bolts. The recommended minimum space around the four sides and above the roof is 600mm and 450mm beneath the tank

CIRCULAR SECTIONAL STEEL TANKS: In developing sectional steel tanks, ABECO recognised a need for tanks that have the following features: • Low cost hygienic water storage • Rugged and easily transportable • Minimal site preparation and foundations • Quick and easy to install • Can be installed using basic equipment • Durable and long lasting • Can be dismantled and re-erected at new sites.

GROUND LEVEL TANKS: Ground level tanks are commonly supported on reinforced concrete dwarf walls fitted with steel capping strips. The purpose of the capping strip is to spread the load over the full load of the support wall and to provide a level platform on which to erect the tank. For practical reasons concrete cannot be cast with sufficient accuracy of level. The capping strips should be positioned in place before the installation of the tank starts. Recommended tolerance is ±2mm. Care should be taken to ensure that foundation walls are parallel and square to each other. Foundation walls must protrude beyond the edge of the tank by a recommended distance of 150mm. The tapered top section of the wall assists in providing access for the tools to fasten.

6A Bradford Road Bedfordview 2007 South Africa

PO Box 751781 Gardenview 2047 South Africa

Tel.: +27 11 616 7999 Fax: +27 11 616 8355 abeco@icon.co.za

www.abecotanks.co.za

FEATURE

RESERVOIRS & BOREHOLES

Borehole pumps prioritised Numerous industries across South Africa can achieve measurable savings on electricity consumption by making use of a range of energy efficient Nastec borehole pumps, distributed by leading fluid conveyance and pumping solutions provider Incledon.

ncledon s product manager for pumps

and set a pressure of 4 bar, you may have

and irrigation, Bruce Crystal, notes that

a ﬂow range from 0 to more than 90 ℓ/

the Italy-manufactured Nastec range is

min at a constant pressure of 4 bar. This

ideally suited to the local irrigation, con-

characteristic is exclusively achieved by the

tracting, residential and agricultural sectors,

4HS, thanks to its wide frequency modula-

due to the fact it can be used to irrigate

tion from 50 to 110 Hz. Industry standard

directly from a borehole, while the pump

submersible

will yield the duty required within its range.

external inverter typically have a frequency

This eliminates the need for an expensive

modulation range of just 36 to 50 Hz. In

and unsightly water tank and a pressure

other words, extremely small compared

booster pump, which have to be installed

to the 4HS. In addition, with fewer models

with standard borehole pumps. The reduc-

you cover a wider range of hydraulic per-

tion of these components does not only

formances; to do the same with ﬁxed speed

save the user on overhead costs, but also

pumps, you need several motor sizes and

reduces the power bill in a country that has

several wet end models to be combined.

unprecedented electricity rate hikes annu-

Incledon has been an oﬃcial distributor

ally, he explains.

of the Nastec range in South Africa for

pumps

controlled

For end users with potable borehole wa-

approximately one year, and Crystal

ter, the stainless steel Nastec pump range

notes that the company plans to

can be connected directly to the property

increase its range of models from six

and serve as a pressure booster pump for

to 13 during the course of this year

properties that lie in low municipal mains

in order to provide a more compre-

pressure areas. Crystal says that it is also

hensive oﬀering to the local market.

important to note that the variable speed

By expanding the product range,

drive motor only uses the amount of power

Incledon can ensure that it covers a

required for each speciﬁc application.

broader spectrum of the market.

Frequency modulation of the VSD pump

According to Crystal, Nastec has the

motor ensures that when demand is low,

internationally recognised CE quality

power consumption will reduce accord-

mark and is compliant with numerous

ingly. On the whole, the Nastec range can

additional certiﬁcations, including EN

be used in any borehole application that

ISO 12100, EN 55014-1, EN 55014-2, EN

requires on-demand ﬂow, at an on-demand

61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3, EN 60335-1 and

pressure that falls within its speciﬁed range

EN 60335-2-41.

of ﬂow and pressure, he continues.

from the competition due to the fact that it

Nastec sets itself apart

boasts superior quality and advanced tech-

Wide ﬂow range

nology that is competitively priced.

Crystal highlights the fact that another

In conclusion, Crystal believes that Nastec

impressive feature of Nastec is the indi-

has the potential to dominate the local

cation of the wide ﬂow range granted

market, as end users begin to fully under-

by the pumps for each set pressure. For

stand the power consumption beneﬁts of

example, if you take the 4HS 04-03 pump

the range.

Water&Sanitation Africa recently interviewed Incledon’s product manager for pumps and irrigation, Bruce Crystal, on the local applicability of the new Nastec pumps.

How big a role would you say borehole water plays in the current South African water context? Borehole water has always played a vital role in the South African market. In some parts of South Africa, where there is no supply of water due to the costs of utilising metered water from a council or water utility, it is the only source of water. Many residences throughout South Africa use borehole water as it translates to a long-term saving on utility costs; farmers use borehole pumps as a source of water for irrigation purposes, as the cost of irrigating with processed water would be unfeasible.

What is the best application for the Nastec pump? The best application is where a client does not want to have an unsightly water tank in their garden or on their premises. This variable speed drive (VSD) borehole pump eliminates the need for a water tank, as well as a “booster pump”, common with a traditional borehole pump without VSD. It gives you water on demand at a constant pressure.

Which industries is the pump most relevant for? The pump is suited to all industries, as well as residential applications, that have a borehole and require water on demand at a constant pressure. Because the pump is manufactured from stainless steel, it is ideal for pumping potable drinking water as well.

How is it suited to the local context?

TABLE 1 The Nastec borehole pump models available through Incledon

NEED TO KNOW

Model 4HS – 02/04

Model 4HS – 02/08

Model 4HS – 04/03

Model 4HS – 04/05

Model 4HS – 06/02

Model 4HS – 06/04

• Flow range: 8.3 to 50 ℓ/min • Head range: 1 to 105 m

• Flow range: 8.3 to 50 ℓ/min • Head range: 12 to 190 m

• Flow range: 16.7 to 100 ℓ/min • Head range: 12 to 83 m

• Flow range: 16.7 to 100 ℓ/min • Head range: 19 to 126 m

• Flow range: 33.3 to 150 ℓ/min • Head range: 6 to 56 m

• Flow range: 33.3 to 150 ℓ/min • Head range: 12 to 104 m

MAY/JUNE 2013

It is ideal in the sense that the borehole pump only delivers what is required by the consumer in terms of water flow at a constant pressure, meaning the VSD will only consume the amount of electricity required to pump what the consumers need; it therefore uses less power than a conventional borehole pump, which consumes its full capacity of power, regardless of the water requirement.

Geared Motors \ Drive Electronics \ Drive Automation \ Industrial Gears \ Services

1THREAD_4571_WAT

We drive the water industry

SEW-EURODRIVE, a BEE company, leaders in the field of geared motors are now able to supply an Industrial Gear Unit that offers more efficiency for mixing and agitating applications with their MC range of Extended Bearing Distance (EBD) Industrial Gear Units. In process plants, large axial and radial forces occur at the agitator shaft during agitating processes. Traditional designs solve this problem with separate, external bearings that take on the function of the agitator shaft bearings, a solution that very often proves cost intensive. Our new EBD concept extends the bearing span across the low speed shaft and offers stronger bearings within the gear unit itself, which means that in many cases separate bearings are no longer required in the agitator or an over sizing of the gear unit can be avoided. These high torque MC Industrial Gear Units can be used for the reliable operation of mixers, mounting flanges, agitators and surface aerators.

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world.

Tel: +27 11 248-7000 Web: www.sew.co.za

FEATURE

RESERVOIRS & BOREHOLES

New product well-positioned Corde Africa, a company founded by Errol and Debby Cornelius, has launched a range of uPVC borehole column piping to the Southern African market.

fter 23 years in this industry,

With a safe allowable hydrostatic pres-

11 of which were as MD of

sure (dependant on class) of between

the South African subsidiary

18 and 50 kg/cm2, a maximum of 500 m

international

pump delivery head is catered for, allow-

pump company, I believe that we have

ing the product to be used in extremely

a winning product on our hands. The

high-pressure applications.

major

smooth walls of this product ensure

Available in 3-m lengths, the piping

water ﬂows at low friction losses, con-

can be varied in class as the pressure

tributing to a high water to wire ratio

declines, allowing for an extremely

and reduced energy costs. In these days

cost-eﬀective installation.

of rapidly rising energy prices and limit-

Having been successfully used in more

ed margins in farming and mining, every

than a million installations worldwide, this technology has been proven to oﬀer

cent saved on production costs helps, says Cornelius.

and, due to the square thread design, has

the beneﬁts of improved performance and

The product is also rustproof and resistant

excellent high-tensile load handling charac-

electrical cost savings over the lifetime of

to corrosion and build-up of solids in the

teristics. Because the pipes do not react to

the installation.

pipe. Being light in weight, it is easy to

acid or alkaline water, they have an extreme-

handle on-site, thus reducing time and cost,

ly long life in the well, Cornelius says.

Due to the robust nature of the product, a two-year warranty is oﬀered.

MAY/JUNE 2013

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Complete water resource and wastewater management

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Is water an untapped commodity?

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TRENDS & PRODUC TS

MEASUREMENT & MONITORING

Ensuring water’s future The equipment to measure the required accurate and sensitive parameter data is available now and should be used to improve the quality of water resources for future generations, Guido Mol, managing member of Quadrex Technologies tells Chantelle Mattheus.

ore stringent environment protection leg-

viable, except as an emergency measure. So the need

islation and implementation will ensure

to preserve or protect our water available from inland

future water quality for generations to

resources is a top priority and should be done at all costs

come. Without this, we must realise the

for current and future generations, says Mol.

dangers of possible water shortages of a quality suitable for human and animal consumption or industry require-

Innovation essential

ments, says Mol.

Innovation is key; however, it is not only about the tech-

He adds that the Trace2o heavy metal analysers are

nology involved, but how that technology is packaged

particularly suited for on-site analysis and remote water

and made accessible for users.

quality monitoring. The DataLink-Instruments (dtli)

measuring technique used in the Trace2o ﬁeld analysers,

equipment s main application ﬁelds include river water

anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), has been around for

monitoring, drinking water and sewage treatment plants,

some time but has never been implemented in a portable

and eﬄuent monitoring in any industry

analyser. The ASV technique features very accurate and

using potable water (e.g. power plants,

repeatable levels of analysis, as well as low level detec-

car industry, paper mills, petrochemical

tion, of the most common heavy metals in the ppb range

industry, food/dairy industry or any oth-

in small sample volumes, says Mol. He adds that the equipment

er user of water in general). The dtli equipment is installed for either

on-line

or in-situ analy-

The electrochemical

The portable WIZ probe is particularly suitable in the fish farming industry as it monitors four of the most important water parameters concerning fish health

can be used by any technician after only a single 30-minute training

period.

The

dtli

equipment uses conventional spectroscopy

methodology

rather than wet chemistry

sis and includes various measurable water parameters

techniques to obtain the required parameter result. As

depending on the type, model or indus-

these units are installed near the customer s factory eﬄu-

try of particular application.

ent outlet point or at various points in process plants or

The portable WIZ probe is particularly

at river banks, lake, dams, shores, etc., total autonomous

suitable in the ﬁsh farming industry as it

working is required and available, says Mol, adding that

monitors four of the most important wa-

this should include automatic sampling and discarding

ter parameters concerning ﬁsh health ‒

of the sample as well as cleaning of measuring cells of

NH3, NO2, NO3 and PO4 ‒ in a single probe

water ﬂow-paths, etc. All these features, as well as manual

design. Measurements can be done

operation, are standard. Remote alarm conditions can be

every three to four hours (or shorter

activated if so desired.

intervals) unattended, and can be done

The advantages are immediately apparent. Measured

remotely or manually if so desired. Other

parameters by the various equipment allows for immedi-

parameters like silica, ions, etc., are availa-

ate response and/or action to be taken by the manager

ble as well. All required reagents are stored on-board the

responsible for the water quality in process usage or prior

analyser and collection of waste is taken care of as well, in

to release of water back into the environment. For ﬁsh

order not to pollute the water resource, adds Mol.

farmers or other users of the WIZ probe, the system can alert them of worsening water quality due to faulty water

ROI regrouped

circulation pumps or air pumps, and thus safe valuable

According to Mol, return on investment (ROI) will depend

ﬁsh stock.

on the customer s outlook on preserving the environment or the future of available water resources in the country. With a limited quantity of suitable water for irrigation, drinking and industrial applications, we should preserve and return used water in a state that is environmentally friendly. Although we have access to water from two oceans, using this water is currently not ﬁnancially

LEFT WIZ Probe automatically manages the well-known spectrophotometric wet chemistries

Local demand and supply Each of the products available from us has its own application ﬁeld. Various equipment types and models can be used in more than one industry or application ﬁeld, says Mol. They all provide a measure of quality of water, expressed in concentrations of pollutants in the water

MAY/JUNE 2013

ONLINE WATER MONITORING ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT Applications include: River water, Drinking water treatment plants, Sewage treatment plants and Industrial efﬂuents, including food, car, dairy, petrochemical and paper mill industries, as well as power plants

The DataLink-Instruments equipment’s main application fields include river water monitoring, drinking water and sewage treatment plants, and effluent monitoring in any industry using potable water

Available parameters: - Online nitrate - Online-UV COD - Online dual nitrate/UV COD - Online ammonium - Online sulphide - Online chlorophyll-a, ﬂuorescein, rhodamine and oil in water - Online UV COD in-situ probe - Online phosphate - Online hexavalent Cr - Multi-parameter e.g pH, conductivity, redox, DO, TSS, temperature - Metals like Ni, Zn, Fe, Cu, etc.

PORTABLE AND LABORATORY HEAVY ELEMENT ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT Portable ﬁeld-kit and benchtop Metalyser systems for precise analysis (to ppb levels) of heavy elements in water and soils.

and can thus be used by various types of customers either

Depending on the models, the following elements are measurable: Al, As, B, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn and Zn

using or providing water. We expect a steady growth in demand for this kind or

PORTABLE WATER ANALYSER

equipment, due to the need arising to monitor available water recourses as well as growing demand in effluent monitoring points in various industries. Government has indicated that industry will be penalised for pollution of water recourses; this will result in higher demand for this type of equipment. Our company is capable of providing the number of required equipment and specifications, he says. Mol believes that we all realise the importance of preserving and maintaining our current limited water resources for a variety of uses, and modern equipment has revolutionised the measurement of and collection of various parameter data in different water resources, be it rivers, lakes, dams, wells, water treatment or process plants, effluent outlet points from factories, etc. ‒ either in-field or in on-line applications, and even in remote places. The possibility of the equipment to run autonomously

The innovative design allows for easy handling and field deployment by a single user. In its standard configuration, the WIZ probe detects trace levels of the main four nutrients compounds: • ammonia (N-NH) • orthophosphate (P-PO3) • nitrate + nitrite N-(NO) • nitrite (N-NO234+NO2). WIZ probe automatically manages the well-known spectrophotometric wet chemistries and an advanced fluorimetric method for ammonia measurement.

and unattended for a period of time either on solar, battery or electrical line power supply are features that should allow us to focus more on ensuring that corrective measures and/or actions to be implemented result in the sustainability of our water recourses and or life stocks, he concludes.

Contact: Guido Mol Mobile: +27 083 629 2625 • Fax: 086 672 2805 Tel Ofﬁce: +27 (0)11 882 5051 • E-mail: gdjm@mweb.co.za

www.quadrex-technologies.co.za

TRENDS & PRODUC TS

MEASUREMENT & MONITORING

At the click of a mouse... Measuring, calibrating and documenting – from the lab to production, by Jessica Nentwich, transmitter product manager at Endress+Hauser.

hether corrosive chemicals,

transmission between sensor and cable

These Memocheck products can simulate

heat or impossible-to-access

that makes the system robust against

Memosens sensors (choice of measuring

application

external inﬂuences such as moisture, corro-

values, calibration and status) and thus

are

sion and salt bridges. Unpleasant surprises

make an essential contribution to simple

known for withstanding many extremes.

from measuring point failures caused by

validation of the measuring point and

However, we all know that those ambient

these factors are a thing of the past ‒ and

troubleshooting. These little tools make

conditions are unfavourable for optimally

maintenance work such as calibration

every day work easier ‒ that s why many

calibrating sensors. Wouldn t it be better

and sensor replacement can be planned

users of these products carry them around

to calibrate all sensors from the process

in advance.

at all times.

from

areas,

sensors

Endress+Hauser

conveniently in the lab under constant

Moreover, sensors with digital Memosens

Memobase Plus consists of a software

conditions and retrieve all calibration values,

technology are intelligent. In addition to

program with a database and correspond-

measuring values and sensor information

calibration data, they save information

ing interfaces, which you can use to con-

without any eﬀort, simply by clicking a

such as operating hours under various con-

nect the sensors directly to any standard

mouse? Thanks to Memobase Plus and in-

ditions and the tag name. As a result, their

PC via USB, turning the computer into a

ductive Memosens sensors, this is now pos-

use is not tied to a speciﬁc transmitter.

calibration and measuring station. Sensors

sible ‒ for up to four sensors simultaneously.

Sensors can be calibrated under optimal

for the parameters of pH/ORP, dissolved

conditions in the lab and all associated

oxygen (amperometric), conductive and

Memosens and Memobase Plus ‒ the whole package

data is stored in a database. Reports are

toroidal conductivity, and chlorine can

created simply by clicking a button. These

be operated in any desired combination.

Memosens is based on non-contact data

options are unheard of for calibration on a

The individual tasks can be freely chosen:

process transmitter or would in-

calibrate four sensors at the same time

volve time-consuming

or calibrate one sensor while a second

and error-prone work

is measuring and a tag is written to the

by hand.

third ‒ anything is possible.

The

Memosens

Plug and play Memobase Plus is based on

package is rounded

the plug-and-play concept that has already

out by pH buﬀers

brought success to the Liquiline transmitter

manufactured in a

platform. The software identiﬁes the digital

buﬀer lab accred-

Memosens sensors automatically and oﬀers

ited by German

the right functions for the sensor. The

agency

DAkkS

program is simple and easy to understand,

and made by

and is sorted by the work tasks of measure-

Memocheck

ment, calibration, reports and sensor man-

products.

agement. The intuitive operation and selfexplanatory system, which also provides many helpful resources and instructions, allows every user to master the program after just a short time. This prevents operator errors from the beginning.

Reaching savings goals quickly Memobase Plus operates up to four sensors simultaneously in any combination. This speeds up measurement and calibration of all Memosens sensors with an inductive plug-in head and ultimately saves time and money. For each user, there is the right package at the right price. Memobase Plus consists of basic software with available upgrades. Even

MemoLink

sensor

connection boxes, and thus the means of determining the number of channels, are

MAY/JUNE 2013

When you can see the whole facility, youâ€™ll see the savings Energy is a major part of waterâ€™s price and, of course, your facilityâ€™s operating costs. In addition, energy is the single largest contributor to the carbon footprint of the water process. Fortunately, Schneider Electricâ„˘ has the solution to manage and optimise your energy in line with your process obligations â€” and to reduce your carbon foot print.

The difference an energy management solution makes kWh

Our combined security, SCADA, and power monitoring solution yields the highest efficiency

Implementation of energy management solution Baseline energy @ measured @ recorded

n utio sol t u ho Energy Wit savings

n lutio h so t i W

Our comprehensive approach to energy management, along with combined power and process services, can yield an energy cost reduction of up to 30 per cent of your existing installation. And with visibility across your entire water network, youâ€™ll be able to optimise the management of your process, reducing and avoiding energy waste in real time.

Time Measurements recorded during the reference period

Flexible software, reliable services make upgrading easy

Measurements recorded for comparison to the reference

When you partner with Schneider Electric all along the life cycle of your facility, youâ€™ll gain access to our expertise as a world leader in electrical distribution, motor control, and process automation.

Improve productivity and safety at once

Presenting EcoStruxureâ„˘, a solutions approach to the energy needs of the water industry that combines advanced power management with a proven automation control system to improve your energy efďŹ ciency and help yield a holistically optimised plant.

Add to this, integrated security and remote management capabilities, and youâ€™ve got a scalable, flexible solution to reduce energy costs, lower your carbon footprint, and provide a safer, more productive work environment for your employees.

Make the most of your energySM

We encourage you to directly involve our experts and engineers by inviting them to conduct a thorough on-site audit and diagnosis of your facility, allowing them to propose informed solutions for improvement.

Learn more about our water solutions Download our FREE water solutions guide today and stand a chance to WIN an iPhoneÂ 5! Visit www.SEreply.com and enter the key code 34678p Call +27-11-254-6400 ÂŠ2013 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, EcoStruxure, and Make the most of your energy, are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies. !LL OTHER TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS WWW SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC COM s 998-2574_ZA_B Registered Name: Schneider Electric South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Registration Number: 1971/002841/07

TRENDS & PRODUC TS available individually and can be retroﬁtted

documents all of the associated information.

at any time. The system also saves work

This ensures seamless traceability and audits

Automated as found/as left deviation monitoring

space in the calibration lab as only one

are prepared quickly and easily. Reports can

How was the measurement quality of the

interface is needed for all types of sensors ‒

be created in PDF form at the click of a but-

sensor immediately before calibration and, in

no bulky transmitters and software for

ton. The data records can also be exported

comparison, what was it like immediately af-

measuring, calibration and documentation.

as CSV ﬁles and reused, without paperwork,

ter calibration? With the automated as found/

And ﬁnally, you have continuous savings

for optimisation and analysis in Excel, for

as left measurement, this can be carried out

on personnel costs in your operations, since

example. In addition, higher-order systems

easily and documented as an optional part of

analysis specialists only have to calibrate,

such

Information

all calibration procedures. Based on the iden-

while sensor replacement, which also had

Management

access

tiﬁed delta values, diﬀerences in measured

to be done by specialists, can now be done

CSV ﬁles.

LIMS

(Laboratory

System)

can

the

values before and after a calibration can be

by non-specialist staﬀ in a few minutes.

Memobase Plus enables you to work

Maximised availability of measuring points is

in conformity with FDA CFR 21 Part 11

explained and the application-related sensor load can be better estimated and tracked.

a free extra.

Calibrate reliably and attain high quality Memobase Plus actively provides reliable and error-free work. Because the sensors are calibrated in a laboratory,

calibration

performed

under

Because the sensors are calibrated in a laboratory, calibration is always performed under optimal conditions – a critical factor for its accuracy and thus for the quality of measurements as well

always

First-time reproducibility of laboratory and process values For the ﬁrst time, the same calculation, cables and sensors as those in the process are used in the lab with Memobase Plus. This makes the measuring values

optimal

genuinely

comparable,

since

conditions ‒ a critical factor for its accuracy

thanks to the audit trail and three-level user

diﬀerences due to the measuring system are

and thus for the quality of measurements as

administration with electronic signature.

eliminated. Therefore, up-scaling is also easier

well. The user administration also provides

Settings, serial numbers, software version,

than ever: the sensors in the process are guar-

security and, with the conﬁgurable password

commissioning date and manufacturer, tar-

anteed to measure identically to those in the

speciﬁcations, adapts to the requirements

get value, batch and service life of reference

test system. With automatic temperature and

of a company and pertinent standards and

solutions, user, time stamp (accurate to the

medium compensation, the only explanation

regulations. In addition, the lab environment

second) and sensor history are part of each

for diﬀerent results can be the medium s

is much safer for workers. In the process

data record and thus have a ﬁxed associa-

reaction with air. The sensors can be validated

environment, where workers are often ex-

tion with a calibration. This leaves no room

at an early stage and accompany the product

posed to heat or cold, dirt and vapours, the

for speculation.

development process from the beginning ‒

required work steps have been minimised to replacing the sensor.

All of the information is stored in a local or

with consistent results from start to ﬁnish.

central database that, thanks to a checksum,

This allows Memobase Plus to enable you

reveals any tampering and labels it in a man-

to centralise maintenance of Memosens ana-

Compliant and audit ready

ner that is impossible to overlook. The cen-

lytical sensors, thus making it more eﬃcient ‒

With complete automation, the program

tral database also enables multiple access

while giving you improved calibration quality

creates data records of operating condi-

at diﬀerent locations, optimising the ﬂow of

and automated documentation that leaves

tions, measurements and calibrations, and

information and making work more eﬃcient.

nothing to be desired.

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Water Purification Plant & Equipment INTRODUCTION SWANSA (PTY) LTD trading as SWAN’S WATER TREATMENT is a privately owned South African company specializing in the design and manufacture of the full spectrum of water puriſcation equipment. Cost effective innovations are incorporated in our process and equipment designs with the plant being customised for each installation. Our extensive in-house expertise, ensures that out advanced technology is applied to the clients best advantage. PRODUCT RANGE • Water ſlters • Moore Airlift Rapid Gravity ſlters • Steel pressure ſlters • Steel rapid gravity ſlters Liquid/Solid Separation • Sludge Blanket Vertical Upƀow Clariſers • Diminishing Intensity Floc Conditioners • Incline Sheet Clariſers • Upgrading of Horizontal Flow Clariſers Chemical Dosing • Helical screw feeders • Rotary disc dry feeders • Water operated dry feeders • Gravity solution feeders • Metering pumps • Gas Chlorinators Efƀuent Treatment • Bioſlter rotary distributors • Aerators • Clariſers Miscellaneous • Package plants • Ammoniators • Sulphonators • Pilot operated diaphragm valves • Laboratory ƀoc testers • Automatic pH control • Comparators • Domestic and industrial cartridge ſlters

Swan’s Water Treatment Prop. Swansa (Pty) Limited Reg. No. 80/11814/07 Plot 91, Honingklip, Muldersdrift P O Box 777 Muldersdrift 1747 Tel: 010 594 9999 Fax: 086 609 1595 P Swan