Holistic Earth Science Solutions: The Value of a Multidisciplinary Approach

Written by Shane Teek – GEOSS South Africa (Pty) Ltd (14 December 2022) There are many fields of Earth Science, and many of these fields overlap with engineering problems. Examples of such scenarios include the geotechnical design of structures, the development of groundwater supply, or the characterisation of contaminants and the development of a remedial […]

Posted on 14 January 2023 under Published Papers.

The Dos and Don’ts of Testing Borehole Yields

Written by Kes Murray   Many boreholes get over-pumped, leading to pump failure/burnout, borehole clogging, impacts on other groundwater users and spring flows, and even land subsidence. While this is usually only discussed when a neighbouring land owner drills new boreholes or when large infrastructure investments are lost due to yield drops after 2 months […]

Posted on 29 September 2022 under Knowledge Hub, Technical Documents.

The Jagersfontein dam disaster: Why environmental regulation is crucial

Written by Shane Teek & Dr Charles MacRobert     A tailings storage facility (TSF) at Jagersfontein failed between approximately 6 AM on Sunday 11 September 2022 causing an environmental catastrophe that is still unfolding. The dam burst, flooding the town and causing families to lose their homes, numerous hospitalisations and significant loss of life. Images […]

Posted on 23 September 2022 under Knowledge Hub, News.

Everything you need to know about drilling a borehole at home

Written by Reuben Lazarus    With the threat of Day zero still looming in parts of South Africa, the question of getting a borehole in your backyard is still on the mind of many concerned citizen wanting to secure their water supply. Whether this is for drinking water, filling up swimming pools or garden irrigation, […]

Posted on 29 July 2022 under Knowledge Hub, Technical Papers.

The National Water act: Why the motivation for a Water Use License is so important

Understanding the National Water Act: Section 27 In this article, we are going to explain the process of getting a Water Use Licence (WULA) in accordance with the National Water Act and why section 27 (motivation) is important. Once a borehole has been sited and drilled, yield and quality testing been completed and the WULA […]

Tags: WULA
Posted on 29 June 2022 under Knowledge Hub, Technical Documents.

Understanding groundwater in South Africa

Groundwater, aquifers and boreholes This article first appeared in Fresh Quarterly. The Water and irrigation issue 16: 2020 – 03. Written by Anna Mouton What do half the people and half the crops on earth have in common? Their survival depends on groundwater.     Only about 2.5% of all water on earth is fresh. […]

Posted on 1 June 2022 under Knowledge Hub, Published Papers.

The importance of borehole construction and well efficiency

My research on borehole drilling, good borehole construction and well efficiency After attending the 2020 workshop “Groundwater: Setting the standards – Borehole Drilling; Pumping Tests and Monitoring”, hosted by The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) South Africa held November 2020 – I started my own research on borehole well efficiency and clogging. This was as […]

Posted on 15 May 2022 under Conferences, Knowledge Hub.

A recap of the International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge

By Kes Murray Attending the 11th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (ISMAR 11) in California, USA, 2022: A Hydro geologists perspective  In April 2022, I had the pleasure of making the trip over to the United States of America to attend and present at ISMAR 11 in Long Beach, California. The International Symposium on […]

Tags: Managed aquifer recharge
Posted on 15 May 2022 under Conferences, Knowledge Hub.

Merweville: a drought-stricken Karoo Town – that turned its water supply battles around

Written by: Julian Conrad A question many people ask is where do small towns get their water supply from? Today we will answer that question through the case study of one of our latest projects, a town that battled drought for many years. Merweville is a special and charming little town (see Figure 1) located […]

Posted on 3 March 2022 under Knowledge Hub, Technical Papers.

Contaminated groundwater: Real-life horror stories

Previously we have written about groundwater impact assessments contaminated land and discussed how humans have created contamination that occurs in the past, present and future. Read the article here Movies that depict famous groundwater contamination cases In this article, we will delve a bit deeper into water contamination that has occurred in the past. Due […]

Posted on 22 February 2022 under Knowledge Hub.