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A CASE STUDY ON THE HISTORICAL WATER QUALITY TRENDS PERTAINING TO THE JUKSKEI RIVER IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA BY JANAVI MELLISSA JARDINE-DA SILVA MINOR DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE (MSc) In ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT In the FACULTY OF SCIENCE At the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG SUPERVISOR: Dr I.T. RAMPEDI 08th April 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend a word of sincere thanks and appreciation to the following people in recognition of the meaningful role and support they have provided during the course of the Research Project. Dr I.T Rampedi, my Supervisor for his unwavering guidance, support, effort and encouragement throughout the project. The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) for supplying water quality data and monitoring information. Michiel Jonker from Ecotone Freshwater Consultants for his advice and allowing me to make use of his GIS and water quality assessment tools. My parents and brother for their support and encouragement and my husband, Richard for his support and encouragement during the entire research period. ABSTRACT Due to the geographical position of the Jukskei River in the built-up and densely populated landscape, it has been historically subject to many water quality problems, particularly of bacterial nature, as well as from other pollution sources. At one stage, between 1995 and 2005, this river was subject to increasing pH levels and variable concentrations of sulphates, potassium, phosphates and nitrates. The potential for flooding and changes in water quality are expected to have a direct correlation to the changes in surface coverage of the built environment surrounding the Jukskei River. Major storm water management concerns have arisen in urban areas as a result of increased severity and frequency of flooding, with detrimental consequences for society and the environment. There is therefore a dire need to constantly monitor water quality, as the pollution loads gathered in the Jukskei channel ultimately reach the Hartbeespoort Dam, which is already in a state of high eutrophication. In responding to these water management challenges, it is crucial to understand the relationship between land use change, rainfall trends and water quality, so that storm water runoff can be managed effectively and efficiently. Data which was obtained from the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) for the 28 year period from 1986 to 2014, shows overall concentrations of pollutants for three sites (Site A, Site B and Site C) along the Jukskei River. This correlates inversely to the increases in average water flows at these sites. The increased water flow and increased urban land use coverage over the period may be responsible for the decrease in pollutant concentrations at these sites. The reasons for the more marked decrease in pollutant concentrations at Site A than Site B may be that Site A is located downstream of Site B. This could be due to the increased incidence of development-related impermeable surfaces occurring in close proximity to Site B, whereas Site A is further from the urban edge. It appears that an increase in the area of impermeable surfaces over time is negatively correlated with pollutant concentrations. This would imply that increased impermeable surfaces provide increased flow into the Jukskei River and therefore allow for the dilution of pollutants entering this river. This negative correlation is expected to continue into the future and the dilution effect may possibly be enhanced with increased development of impermeable surfaces within Johannesburg, depending on other water quality inputs. A case study on the historical water quality trends pertaining to the Jukskei River in the Gauteng province, South Africa. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM ........................................................ 6 1.1.1 Statement of the Research Problem ................................................................................................. 6 1.1.2 Research Aim and Objectives .......................................................................................................... 8 1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 8 1.2.1 Stage 1 ............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.2.2 Stage 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 9 1.2.3 Stage 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 9 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 10 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Understanding the pollution context of the Jukskei River ............................................................. 11 2.2 IMPACTS OF URBANISATION ON THE JUKSKEI RIVER .......................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Background on previous Jukskei River Water Quality Datasets ................................................... 14 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA ............................................................................... 15 3.1 GENERAL BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY AREA .................................................................................. 15 3.2 LOCATION OF THE JUKSKEI RIVER ...................................................................................................... 15 3.3 GEOLOGY, SOIL AND TOPOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 16 3.4 NATURAL VEGETATION ...................................................................................................................... 17 3.5 SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS ................................................................................................................ 17 4 DATA COLLECTION AND METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 19 4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 Water Quality Guidelines and Standards ...................................................................................... 19 4.1.2 Comparison of Various Standards ................................................................................................. 19 4.2 DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................................................. 22 4.2.1 Geographical Position of Monitoring Sites ................................................................................... 22 4.3 CORRELATING HISTORICAL WATER QUALITY DATA WITH HISTORICAL LAND USE DATA ................. 23 4.4 CLIMATE ............................................................................................................................................. 28 4.4.1 Average Historical Rainfall Patterns within Gauteng ................................................................... 28 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .............................................................................................. 30 5.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 30 5.1.1 Average Seasonal Flow Rates (DWA, 1986 to 2014) .................................................................... 30 5.2 WATER QUALITY DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 31 5.2.1 Analysis of Historical Water Quality (DWA - 1986 to 2014) ........................................................ 31 5.2.2 Site A (DWA A21 90169), Site B (DWA A21 90189) and Site C (DWA A21 90191) Water Quality 32 5.3 ANALYSES OF PHYSICAL DETERMINANDS .......................................................................................... 41 5.3.1 pH .................................................................................................................................................. 41 5.3.2 Electrical Conductivity .................................................................................................................