Question NW1468 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

Reply:

Yes, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) successfully developed and implemented the Integrated Biological Remediation Plan for the Hartbeespoort dam (HDRP) from June 2006 to March 2016. The programme was halted from April 2016 to consider an alternative institutional model for long term implementation. It is anticipated that the date for the reinstatement of the HDRP will be in January 2020. The Department of Water and Sanitation intends to continue to engage Rand Water as the Implementing Agent based on the current available budget of R24 million. A decision to opt for the Fast Tracking option of the programme can be done after the confirmation of additional funding.

The Fast Tracking Option incorporates more intensified dam basin rehabilitation activities, as well as intensified catchment activities including:

• Sediment removal & treatment
• River shoreline and wetland rehabilitation
• Upstream litter traps and treatment

This option was decided upon by DWS because a sustainable turning point would be attainable sooner and maintenance options would then be more cost effective in the long term.

The minimum ongoing Operation and Maintenance costing in the Business Plan (2016) was R30 million. An escalation of 33% was added for the last 3.5 years and the cost to date is R40 million. On the same basis, the costing for the Fast Tracking option to date is R69 million, and the Full Scale implementation and extension to other dams will be between R140 and R173 million. Amongst others, upstream catchment activities will include:

• Public awareness and training;
• Compliance and enforcement with the pilot development
• Implementation of the Waste Discharge Charge System (WDCS) to recover cost from polluters.

The focus actions to implement the HDRP for the dam will include the following:

• Biomass, Litter and Debris removal by physical and mechanical methods at 3 dedicated sites after wind concentration and containment. This includes a Litter & Debris trap at Crocodile River inlet.
• Treatment of Biomass to produce organic fertilizer.
• Food web restructuring to ensure a healthy and sustainable aquatic ecosystem in the dam, which entails the removal of the bottom feeding catfish and invasive exotic Carp, the construction and rehabilitation of wetlands, shoreline vegetation and functional floating wetlands.
• The ongoing sediment removal (organic jelly layer) at the dam wall, and the implementation of sediment removal at the Crocodile River mouth, after the completion of the pilot dredging.
• Implementation of river and in stream remediation and enforcement of the Operational Best Practices (OBPs).