Water, Sewage & Effluent January February 2019

References • Copies of presentations and information provided by Hanre Blignaut, deputy director: Engineering Planning at Overstrand Local Municipality • "Driving water savings” — Article by Danielle Petterson in IMIESA November/December 2016 • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron- oxidizing_bacteria  innovations yield from boreholes. Blignaut’s team is already conducting feasibility studies to boost the use of treated effluent as well as the desalination of seawater. It is estimated that a desalination plant should be on stream in 2023. An attractive option in this case is that the existing abalone industry in Hermanus is already pumping a huge volume of seawater from Walker Bay and a desalination plant can easily link up with this. Final biofilter plant in operation. wide range of technologies in the number of plants created difficulties in a normal municipal supply chain to provide spares on time. Overstrand performed an investigation in line with the requirements of section 78 of the Municipal Systems Act with respect to water services. Council resolved to procure an operations and maintenance support contract. Staff and organised labour were included during the process. The result was that a 15-year contract was concluded with a private operator (Veolia) for the operation and maintenance of the 14 treatment plants that Overstrand owns (WTW and WWTW). Municipal staff was transferred to the operator on the same terms and conditions. Main objectives of the contract: provision of appropriate skills and expertise, asset preservation, and driving of efficiencies. The contractor’s performance is measured in terms of 15 key performance indicators, including water losses in the bulk supply systems and results from treatment processes. The contract provides for penalties and incentives and has now been running successfully for three years. What does the future hold? The demand is growing in the greater Hermanus area. Despite a very successful programme to increase efficiencies and control demand, it will be inevitable to develop new sources. According to Blignaut, the next step would be to increase the www.waterafrica.co.za Water Sewage & Effluent January/February 2019 23

Water, Sewage & Effluent January February 2019 | Page 23