Breede River Basin Study
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DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY BREEDE RIVER BASIN STUDY MAIN REPORT OCTOBER 2003 REFERENCE This report is to be referred to in bibliographies as : Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2003. Breede River Basin Study : Main Report. Prepared by H Beuster, M J Shand and C A Carter of Ninham Shand (Pty) Ltd in association with MBB Consulting Engineers and Jakoet & Associates as part of the Breede River Basin Study. DWAF Report No. P H 00/00/3102. ELECTRONIC VERSION This report is also available in electronic format as follows : • DWAF websire : - Intranet : http://dwaf-www.pwv.gov.za/documents/ - Internet : http://www.dwaf.gov.za/documents/ • On CD which can be obtained from DWAF Map Office at : 157 Schoeman Street, Pretoria (Emanzini Building) +27 12 336 7813 mailto:[email protected] The CD contains the reports (all available on DWAF websire) listed in Section 14.1 - Breede River Basin Study Reports. BREEDE RIVER BASIN STUDY MAIN REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY E1. INTRODUCTION In 1999, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) commissioned the Breede River Basin Study (BRBS) to provide the information that is required for the effective management and beneficial use of the water resources of the Breede River and its main tributary the Riviersonderend River. The decision to undertake the study was determined by the water situation in the south western region of the Western Cape. The demands for water from the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) and the water needs in the Breede Water Management Area (WMA) were placing severe pressure on the water resources of the region. The provision of information that would allow planning for optimum utilisation of the water resources on a regional basis was therefore essential. The National Water Act of 1998 set in motion a process of fundamental change in the way in which water resources are managed in South Africa. One of the most significant aspects of this process is the establishment of new water management institutions that will allow water users and interest groups to participate in the management of their water resources. The process of establishing a Catchment Management Agency (CMA) for the Breede WMA (which also includes the Palmiet, Sout and Bot River catchments), commenced shortly after the inception of the BRBS. While the actual establishment of the CMA remained a separate process, it was intended from the start to support the development of the CMA through the BRBS. CMA stakeholders were involved in the technical working groups and feedback meetings of the BRBS. Together with the stakeholders, information forthcoming from the study was used to prepare a series of discussion papers that formed the basis of a proposal for the establishment of the CMA. In addition to the important link that was established between the study and the development of the CMA, the study was designed to provide the technical information that would be required for good water resource management. The findings of the BRBS have since provided invaluable baseline information for the Department's Internal Strategic Perspectives (ISP) process, which is intended to develop interim water resource management strategies to be applied by DWAF until such time as the CMA can take over. The CMA will presumably also use BRBS information to eventually develop a Catchment Management Strategy (CMS) for the Breede River. BREEDE RIVER BASIN STUDY : MAIN REPORT OCTOBER 2003 I:\HYDRO\8718\REPORTS\Main\BRBS MAIN REPORT fin.doc ii The basic objectives of the study were therefore to: • assist with the institutional development of the CMA • provide the information that will be required for good water resource management, especially to support decisions on license applications • provide a sound foundation for the development of an ISP and a CMS • enable and facilitate follow-up broad regional planning for the Berg and Breede WMAs, as well as more detailed feasibility studies To address the objectives of the study, all aspects relating to the water resources of the Breede River catchment had to be investigated and evaluated. This included assessments of present water use and possible future use scenarios, assessments of current water availability and possible future availability (including allowance for the Reserve), water quality, yield balance scenarios, balance interventions such as the implementation of water conservation and demand management (WCDM) measures, re-use of water, promotion of a water market, water transfers, and new schemes. The findings of the specialist investigations are documented in more than twenty separate technical reports. This, the Main Report of the study, presents an overview of the prominent features of the specialist investigations, and draws on the findings of these investigations to present a framework for the beneficial use of the water resources of the Breede River catchment. The Main Report commences with a discussion of significant features of the catchment, including natural features, land use, water supply infrastructure, and prevailing socio-economic conditions. The methods that were used to quantify present levels of consumptive water use and to estimate future growth in water requirements are explained, and the results are discussed. Environmental sustainability forms one of the cornerstones of the National Water Act. In recognition of this, a considerable portion of study resources was directed towards increasing the available knowledge regarding the ecological water requirements of the aquatic ecosystems in the Breede River catchment. The findings of a series of groundwater, riverine, estuarine, and wetland Reserve determinations as well as the quality requirements of the Reserve are presented and discussed in terms of the effect that these requirements may have on future water availability. Efforts to identify and evaluate options for water conservation and demand management were focussed on two areas where substantial savings can be achieved, namely through the control and eradication of invasive alien plants, and the implementation of WCDM measures in especially the agricultural sector. The findings of this work are discussed, and comment on the potential for WCDM in urban areas is also provided. The quantity and quality of the surface and groundwater resources in the catchment are discussed. When considering present and possible future water balances, the first emphasis is on interventions that will not require large capital investment and will not have significant impact on BREEDE RIVER BASIN STUDY : MAIN REPORT OCTOBER 2003 I:\HYDRO\8718\REPORTS\Main\BRBS MAIN REPORT fin.doc iii the environment, but the development of further resources appears inevitable in the long run. With this in mind, a range of potential water supply options that were previously identified, and a number of new possibilities were assessed at reconnaissance level. These development options are discussed, and the more favourable options for local use and for possible water transfers to the Berg WMA are identified. The information produced by the BRBS will be used to inform strategic decisions on future resource use in the larger region, which includes neighbouring WMAs. The Breede River catchment can therefore not be viewed in isolation, and resource development must be considered in the context of the Western Cape Region as a whole. Considerations that would have to be taken into account are discussed, and finally, a framework for the beneficial use and future development of the water resources of the Breede River catchment is presented. E2. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Public participation was regarded as an important component of the BRBS. Not only did active public participation alert study teams to important issues that required their specialist attention, but it also played an important role in preparing water users and interest groups to assume future responsibility for the management of their water resources. The Public Participation Programme (PPP) for the BRBS was integrated with the PPP for the establishment of the Breede CMA. This not only led to significant cost savings, but valuable synergy was achieved. Public participation was facilitated through a series of public meetings and supporting documentation. Focussed inputs by a Stakeholder Committee and Technical Working Groups for the Agricultural Water Demand, Environmental, and Water Quality components of the BRBS were received at key points in the study. The Stakeholder Committee also participated in the establishment of the Breede CMA Reference Group, which guided the development of a proposal for the establishment of a CMA for the Breede WMA. The PPP also facilitated the very important buy-in by stakeholders of the future CMA into the BRBS and its findings. BREEDE RIVER BASIN STUDY : MAIN REPORT OCTOBER 2003 I:\HYDRO\8718\REPORTS\Main\BRBS MAIN REPORT fin.doc iv E3. CURRENT WATER USE AND POSSIBLE FUTURE REQUIREMENTS Year 2000 water use from the Breede River catchment amounted to about 870 million m3/a. This volume includes groundwater abstractions for irrigation of about 100 million m3/a. Figure E3.1 shows a broad split of current water use in the catchment. Transfers (180Mm3/a) 21% Urban (26Mm3/a) 3% Afforestation (26Mm3/a) 3% Irrigation (576Mm3/a) Alien Plants 66% (61Mm3/a) 7% Figure E3.1 : Present Day (2000) Consumptive Water Use Urban Water Use in the Breede River Catchment Urban water use is small compared to agricultural usage in the Breede Basin, accounting for about 3% of current water use. During the past decade, growth in urban water usage has averaged about 3,3% per year, with the towns of Wolseley (8,6% per year) and Robertson (9,3% per year) experiencing the highest growths. There is considerable scope for urban WCDM with potential reductions in demands of the order of 20% to 30%. After accounting for the effect of water demand management, urban usage may initially decrease from the present level of about 26 million m3/a, but is then expected to continue growing to around 43 million m3/year by 2030.