PROJECT 25 treatment plant, allowing the entire system to be built, tested and commissioned off-site. The container housed all major treatment processes, pipework, instrumentation and automation.
Once fabrication was complete, the containerised plant was delivered to site and connected to the estate’ s existing borehole supply, storage tanks and internal distribution network. This approach significantly reduced on-site disruption and ensured predictable quality control. After installation, the system underwent full commissioning, testing and optimisation. Ongoing performance tuning is now handled remotely via Ground 2 Tap’ s monitoring platform, with proactive adjustments made as operating conditions change.
“ The final design was a containerised water treatment plant, allowing the entire system to be built, tested and commissioned off-site.”
The new system – water treatment and automation The treatment process was specifically designed around the site’ s raw water characteristics, which included high iron levels and elevated salinity( brackish water).
The system operates in multiple stages:
• First, the raw borehole water is chemically conditioned. Iron removal requires precise control of both pH and oxidation potential. Sodium hypochlorite is used as an oxidant to convert dissolved iron into a solid form, preparing it for filtration.
• Second, the water passes through a dedicated iron removal media filter, which removes the bulk of the oxidised iron.
• Third, an ultrafiltration( UF) stage polishes the water by removing remaining fine sediment and iron particles.
• Finally, the water is treated through nanofiltration( NF), which removes excess salinity and unwanted dissolved minerals. The system is carefully tuned to achieve a stable, balanced water profile without the need for remineralisation.
Further, the new system also includes:
• Full remote monitoring of system health, performance, water production and operational savings
• Automated chemical level monitoring and proactive service scheduling
• Automatic changeover between treated borehole water and municipal supply, ensuring zero downtime for the estate
• Precise control over final water quality to protect infrastructure and ensure consistent supply to buildings
The challenges of the project One of the main challenges occurred just before installation, when a critical borehole pump failed. This borehole was originally intended to feed the treatment plant. An alternative borehole to supply the system was identified, however its yield was lower than originally planned. Borehole specialists were brought in to adjust the variable speed drives on the pumps to increase output and align production with the treatment plant’ s capacity.
April 2026 Volume 32 I Number 02 www. plumbingafrica. co. za