Groundwater Fundamentals

Is Your Borehole Water Safe to Drink? | Borehole Water Quality & SANS 241 Standards

Learn how to ensure your borehole water is safe to drink. Discover key chemical parameters, SANS 241 standards, testing frequency, and treatment options for safe drinking borehole water.

Don’t Just Drill, Understand the Bigger Picture

The following website article raises critical questions about the process of groundwater development, especially in a water-scarce country like South Africa. It highlights the complexity of groundwater authorisation, the importance of accurate monitoring, and the need for robust management systems. While groundwater offers a potential solution for water security, the current regulatory and infrastructural challenges need to be addressed to ensure sustainable and equitable use. Thus, the feasibility of groundwater development hinges on comprehensive management and stringent regulation, making it a conditional rather than an outright solution.

A Guide to Compiling a Water Balance for a Geohydrological Report

Written by: Abigail Oellermann, GEOSS Download Article Background: Water scarcity in South Africa Water is a critical resource, especially in areas facing scarcity and increasing demand such as a semi-arid country like South Africa. Ensuring sustainable water management practices is crucial for both current needs and future growth. A key component of effective water management […]

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 […]

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, […]

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. […]

Groundwater – general guidelines towards monitoring and management (funded by Potatoes South Africa)

The intention is to provide a broad overview of groundwater resources in terms of how it occurs (its distribution across South Africa)
as well as an overview of the complete “life cycle” of groundwater development projects (starting with drilling and on through yield testing; monitoring and all the way to the authorization of the use of groundwater).

Borehole water: How to get a South African Water Use License (WULA)

Usually, the preparations made for groundwater exploration, drilling, and testing the yield and quality of boreholes culminates in the registration or authorisation of the use of new groundwater. While Section 21 of the National Water Act No. 36 of 1998 guides the groundwater user in terms of the authorization process, there are various aspects that should be taken into consideration.

The comprehensive checklist for drilling a borehole

Written by Dale Barrow  Drilling and having a borehole is an asset that should last you at least 10 to 15 years at very little ongoing cost, provided you do everything correctly at the start! If you don’t, it can become a very expensive and time-consuming liability with continual repair or replacement of pumps. The […]

Borehole Yield Testing

How to correctly follow a borehole yield test? The South African National Standard for the test pumping of water boreholes (SANS 10299-4:2003) clearly prescribes how the borehole yield testing is to be carried out. Remember the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will only authorise groundwater use if the correct (above) method of borehole yield […]

Groundwater Cycle

Groundwater supply project lifecycle