Bulk water infrastructure

Excellence award for SPRING GROVE DAM

The water engineering excellence achieved during the design and construction of the Spring Grove Dam was recently recognised when Consulting Engineers (CESA) awarded AECOM with a CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Award for the project in the category ‘Engineering Excellence with a value greater than R250 million.’ The Water Wheel looks at some of the non-engineering factors that make this project unusual.

40 The Water Wheel September/October 2014 Bulk water infrastructure

ituated on the , Spring Grove The dam is nestled in the KwaZulu- Midlands, Dam is the main component of Phase 2 of near the small town of Rosetta, a quiet, picturesque the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme. This is area. Land acquisition is always a sensitive issue, a much needed water resource develop- particularly when arable land, homesteads and ment project to bring additional water to sensitive natural habitats will be inundated. AECOM Sthe ever expanding KwaZulu-Natal coastal metro- worked closely with TCTA using a phased approach politan area. to acquire the portions of properties that would be inundated by the dam, giving priority to properties Spring Grove is the fifth dam to be built in the Mooi- with dwellings that lay below the purchase line and Mgeni system, which already comprises Midmar, in the construction domain. Throughout this pro- , Nagle and Inanda dams. Together, these cess, the team was careful to ensure that landown- dams provide water to more than five million peo- ers were properly communicated with and that the ple and industries in , and process was fair and clear. surrounding towns. The new dam has augmented the yield of the system by 60 million m3/year, taking the As some landowners would have to reduce their total system yield to 394 million m3/year. agricultural operations following the expropriation of portions of their land, employment opportuni- Throughout the design and construction phases ties would change and measures had to be devised of this dam, it was up to the design and construc- to compensate and relocate those who would be tion teams to work closely with the client, TCTA, affected. A Relocation Action Plan (RAP) was thus to ensure that all efforts were made to minimise developed under the proviso that the relocation the impacts on the social and natural environment process needed to be completed before impound- The Spring Grove dam wherever possible. ment of the dam. wall during construction. Courtesy AECOM Courtesy

The Water Wheel September/October 2014 41 Bulk water infrastructure

Because the circumstances, history and ‘relationship settlers of English decent in the late 1800s and was to the land’ of the people affected by land acquisition primarily used as farming land. The dam basin differed so greatly, the RAP could not apply standard also included part of the wagon trail that led to principles and procedures. The international stand- the interior of the country and was part of histori- ards and procedures for the relocation and com- cal events such as the Langalibalele rebellion, the pensation also did not apply because there was no Anglo-Zulu war, the Anglo-Boer war and the homogenous community in the area (only individu- Bambatha rebellion. als and families) and because the affected properties were all privately owned. The presence of San inhabitants While the relocation of was also evident in the dam While the relocation of peo- basin. Three rock paintings just ple was a major part of the people was a major part below Inchbrakie Falls, known project, the project team of the project, the project as the Vaalekop Rock Art Site, also had to ensure that his- team also had to ensure would be inundated. The art- torical, archaeological, social work was carefully removed by and natural fauna and flora that historical, archaeo- a team of archaeological experts aspects were also sensitively logical, social and natural and was taken to the Natal addressed. This area is noted fauna and flora aspects Museum for preservation. not only for its beauty, but also for its role in South Africa’s were also sensitively In addition, 157 graves were history. addressed. reported as affected and were investigated for exhumation The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands at the identified locations, During construction, the has both tangible and intangible cultural and herit- 109 graves were found with remains or evidence of became a major age importance, and the project documented the existence of a grave, and 42 sites were excavated and travel route for vehicles hauling construction ‘sense of place’ in and around the dam’s basin. Inter- no remains were found or showed any existence of materials to site. estingly, the dam’s basin was formally occupied by a grave. Courtesy AECOM Courtesy

42 The Water Wheel September/October 2014 Bulk water infrastructure

An environmental aspect of the project that was region, especially the nearby towns of Mooi River, unique was the construction of a fish barrier struc- Rosetta and . ture upstream of the Spring Grove reservoir to mimic the function of the Inchbrakie Falls, which served as Guesthouses, restaurants, entertainment facilities a natural a barrier between smallmouth bass popula- and suppliers in the towns benefited from the influx tions downstream of the falls and trout upstream. At of site staff and various sub-contractors. The project full supply the Inchbrakie Falls would be inundated. also generated employment opportunities for the During construction, the R103 became a major travel local communities, and specific performance targets route for vehicles hauling construction materials to were included in the contract to ensure that socio- site, and much time was spent in consultation with economic objectives were achieved. local residents of Nottingham Road and Rosetta to find a solution that suited everyone. In March 2013, impoundment of Spring Grove Dam started and the Taking-Over Certificate was issued The conditions of approval of the Traffic Manage­ on 25 October 2013 marking the end of construc- ment Plan stipulated that all vehicles hauling pro- tion. The dam was officially opened by President cessed rock be fitted with GPS devices to track, Jacob Zuma on 19 November 2013, who said “South among others, speed, and that the construction Africans should remember that the country is one of trucks had to follow a loop system so that no trucks the driest on earth. Not a drop must be wasted, not a passed each other on their way to/from site. drop must be polluted, and all infrastructure devel- oped must be cared for. Water is life. Let us conserve The D146 road from the R103 to the dam construc- it, respect it and enjoy it.” tion site was upgraded and maintained during construction so that it could accommodate the extra With good rain over the past few months, the dam The Inchbrakie falls, which traffic burden. The construction of Spring Grove reservoir’s level has increased from 10% in Novem- are inundated during full Dam holds short- and long-term benefits for the ber 2013 to 85% as at April 2014.  supply. Courtesy AECOM Courtesy

The Water Wheel September/October 2014 43