Underpinning Umvoto’s monitor-model-manage approach to both surface water and groundwater resources is a solid foundation of field knowledge and hands-on experience, with an emphasis on ground truthing exploration hypotheses and aquifer specific knowledge to inform wellfield management. Umvoto has led our competitors in implementing an adaptive management approach to groundwater resource evaluation and development in South Africa by developing systems for both evaluating surface water-groundwater interaction and integrating groundwater into existing surface water planning tools.
Umvoto has experience in a range of hydrological investigations, including hydrological impact assessments and stormwater management planning. This allows Umvoto to assess the potential impacts of watercourse flows on developments, the impact of developments on watercourses, and to advise on the associated mitigation and management measures.
The Umvoto team’s experience with the National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998) of South Africa and associated legislation supports strategic approaches in water resource development studies, vital to license applications, associated aquifer sustainability, as well as public liaison, securing public buy-in and preparing risk-based environmental impact assessments.
To meet the growing concern around water resource and soil contamination Umvoto offers the full suite of assessments building on our expertise in geological and hydrogeological processes. Umvoto’s strength is our proven experience in soil, surface water and groundwater assessments; the interactions between these; and the associated impacts and required mitigation and management measures.
Umvoto has experience in most priority contaminants, with capability in due diligence, desktop and intrusive assessments (including soil sampling, monitoring well drilling and sampling), remediation, contaminant fate and transport modelling and environmental monitoring. This experience helps our various industrial clients identify, prevent, mitigate and remediate environmental impacts to limit their environmental, reputational, and financial risks.
The Umvoto team has long experience in the application and successful awarding of Water Use Licences (WUL) in terms of Section 21 of the National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998) having worked with a variety of clients in local governments, agricultural and manufacturing industries on applications for various WULs. WUL applications have varied from the abstraction of ground and surface water for domestic use and agricultural use, to the discharge of treated effluent, alteration of stream and riverbeds and banks, recharging of groundwater, dewatering of pits and mines, and all other Section 21 uses. This experience and knowledge of the various relevant legislation is applied in development of monitoring and resource protection protocols.
