In 2007, Spier installed a pioneering
centralised wastewater treatment
plant, which is the embodiment of
its approach to waste management.
It recycles 100% of Spier’s
wastewater using only environmentally friendly methodology, and the
clean water is then used to irrigate
the garden and grounds.
It processes up to a million litres of
wastewater at any given time. It
would take a river 350km to purify
what the wastewater treatment
plant can do in one day. From 1 July
2014 to 30 April 2015, the treatment plant treated 44938 kL of water. Of this, 22730 kL was reused
for irrigation in the North Bank gardens as well in our Wine Tasting
ablution facilities.
The Spier Hotel has installed watersaving devices such as low-flow
taps and showerheads, and uniflush toilet flushing systems. Hotel
guests are asked to participate in
water reduction practices such as
the re-use of bath towels where
possible. Water quality and consumption is measured at over 400
sites across Spier to ensure that any
recycled water used is in keeping
with legislative guidelines.
Several processes are in place to
ensure that the laundry on Spier reuses all its water up to three times
before it is eventually pumped away
to the wastewater treatment plant.
We are installing various shut-off
valves in the main water system to
allow for any unexpected repairs
not requiring a total bleed of the
water system’s contents.
Over the past decade, we have carefully replaced plants in our gardens
with only indigenous varieties that
grow naturally in the Western Cape,
specifically the Boland area. Water
plays a pivotal role in the initial
stages of growing, but once the
plant has taken root and is growing, the watering can be adjusted
to suit its requirements. When the
plant is growing in its natural habitat, normally watering can stop.
Some plants might require only two
seasons to adjust; others need longer.
Rehabilitating our river systems
The riparian system running
through Spier covers 73.8ha, and
consists of the Eerste River and two
of its tributaries, the Blaauwklippen
and Bonte River. Since 2005, we
have been clearing, cleaning and replanting along these rivers. Aliens
consume far more water than indigenous plants. By removing the former and replacing them with the
latter, we are ensuring a significant
reduction in the amount of water
our farm requires.
Five full time jobs have been created in Spier’s alien clearing projects.
The cleared material is chipped or
stacked, and then removed to the
composting site or used for mulching to preserve water. The contractor also sells back much of the material as firewood to the Spier Hotel.
Spier’s nursery has a team of 16
permanent employees dedicated to
the propagation and re-planting of
indigenous and endemic plant species in areas cleared of alien vegetation. The re-planting has attracted
bird and animal life back into the
area. This project will continue at
pace until a critical balance of diversity has been restored to the farm.
Spier’s investment in our nursery