Cape Town makes its mark on the world map for water reuse

The Global Connections Map, compiled by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) in partnership with the USA’s Water Reuse Association, added three of Cape Town’s water reuse schemes to its map. This interactive online tool showcases the location of the hundred potable water reuse schemes worldwide.

Cape Town now joins the 35 cities where water reuse projects are plotted, which are either planned, built or already in operation. This illustrates how several international communities now rely on water reuse, as part of their strategy to sustain drinking water supply.

Cape Town’s features sites

• Faure New Water Scheme (planned): This is a direct potable reuse scheme that will produce 70 M ℓ (upgradable to 100 M ℓ of drinking water per day. The project is currently in the design phase. The scheme will convert highly purified source water from Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works into safe drinking water that meets international quality standards. This requires an advanced water purification process involving multiple technological barriers (ozonation, biologically activated carbon filtration, granular-activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet advanced oxidation and disinfection). Once purified, the water will then be blended with dam water and treated again at the existing Faure Water Treatment Plant, before being distributed through the City's drinking water supply network.

• Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme (operating): A groundwater scheme that includes a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) component. The managed aquifer recharge includes the infiltration of conditioned stormwater and treated effluent into strategic zones of the aquifer, to ensure sustainability of the aquifer biome over the longterm. The Atlantis scheme currently produces 13 M ℓ /day and is being optimised to produce 25 M ℓ /day in the medium term. In the long term, it can be expanded to produce 40 M ℓ / day.

• Cape Flats Managed Aquifer Recharge (under construction): A component of the Cape Flats Aquifer Management Scheme. The scheme includes the abstraction of groundwater from the Cape Flats Aquifer and the MAR component, which consists of the injection of treated effluent into the strategic zones of the aquifer, to ensure the sustainability of its biome over the long term. This scheme is anticipated to produce 54 Mℓ of drinking water per day.

“Cape Town is investing more in infrastructure than Johannesburg and Durban combined, with a capital budget 91% larger than Joburg and 117% larger than eThekwini over the next three years. Water and Sanitation represent 42% of our approximate R120 billion 10-year infrastructure pipeline, funding critical projects from our New Water Programme that will produce 300 Mℓ of drinking water daily by 2030. Unlike other metros, Cape Town is proactively securing its water future through innovative solutions that ensure resilience against climate change and population growth,” says Mayoral Committee Member Zahid Badroodien.

Cape Town’s new water programme

The new water programme is a strategic response to Cape Town’s increasing water needs and climate variability. By introducing multiple water sources, the programme aims to add 300 M ℓ per day to the city’s supply.

The key initiatives include:

• Water reuse: The Faure New Water Scheme will be a state-of-the-art water reuse project that will produce up to 70 M ℓ of drinking water daily.

Public participation on outsourcing the implementation and operation of the facility begins in March 2025.

• Desalination: The Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant, currently in the

South Africa is a water-scarce country, making water reuse an invaluable asset to the water security of the nation planning phase, will use multi-barrier treatment technology to remove pollutants and salts, ensuring the production of high-quality drinking water. The City launched a public participation process on 31 January 2025, on outsourcing the implementation and operation of the facility, with feedback submissions open until 3 March.

• Clearing of invasive plant species: The removal of invasive alien plant