Technical Documents

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 […]

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 […]

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).

South Africa (SA) is a water scarce country that is characterised by extreme climatic conditions and evaporation rates that often exceed precipitation. The country is projected to have a 17% water supply deficit by 2030 (DWS, 2019). This can be mitigated by increasing water efficiency and diversifying water sources. By 2040, alternative sources such as […]

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 […]

By Kes Murray Understanding Groundwater recharging Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), sometimes referred to as Artificial Recharge, is the process by which a water source is intentionally injected or infiltrated into an aquifer. There are a wide variety of reasons for doing this, as well as a range of methods and technologies that are used to […]

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 […]

Just 200 km north of Cape Town, South Africa, you’ll find a unique area that boasts a wide range of landscapes – from rugged mountains to lush river valleys.