Table Mountain Group Aquifers
Umvoto has been the groundwater consultant for the City of Cape Town’s Table Mountain Group (TMG) Aquifer Feasibility Study and Pilot Project since 2002, where groundwater exploration has been undertaken at various target sites from Steenbras Dam northwards to Wemmershoek Dam. Groundwater development and wellfield implementation has been initiated at the planned 20-25 million litre per day Steenbras Well (adjacent to upper and lower Steenbras Dam) since 2017 as part of the City of Cape Town’s New Water Programme (where Umvoto works as specialist groundwater consultant to engineers Zutari), where borehole yields of between 10-50 litres per second have been encountered within TMG aquifers along the major Steenbras-Brandvlei Megafault Zone. Further deep (up to 500-1000 metres) TMG groundwater exploration has been undertaken in the Grabouw-Eikenhof and Theewaterskloof Dam areas for future TMG wellfield development.
Cape Flats Aquifer
Umvoto was appointed in 2017 by the City of Cape Town under iX engineers to undertake emergency groundwater development of the Cape Flats Aquifer as part of the City’s New Water Programme, which underlies much of the Cape Flats area. The project is based on the Cape Flats Aquifer management strategy and entails both emergency supply and long-term resilience through managed aquifer recharge (MAR), which aims to improve aquifer and ecosystem functioning while maximising storage and yield (together known as the Cape Flats Aquifer Management Scheme). Under the supervision of Umvoto over 260 boreholes have been drilled since January 2018, comprising a combination of exploration, monitoring, production and injection boreholes linked to MAR.
Atlantis Aquifer
Umvoto was appointed in 2017 by the City of Cape Town under iX engineers to improve access to the proven groundwater resources in Atlantis, as part of the City’s New Water Programme. This has been achieved through optimisation of available infrastructure and management of various scheme components (existing wellfields, the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) scheme and water treatment and reticulation systems) to support the City in meeting the immediate emergency water demand (including supplying water to Melkbos in times of emergency). Redrilling of production boreholes, redesign and refurbishment of stormwater and infiltration basins, re-establishment of a monitoring network, modernisation of monitoring techniques as well as undertaking an integrated water use licence application all form part of Umvoto’s scope of work in Atlantis. In parallel to this, Umvoto is initiating feasibility studies for wellfield expansion and enhancing MAR with the aim of improving resilience and assurance of supply in the short term without compromising expanded long-term supply from the Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme.
