7 DESCRIPTION of the BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 7.1 Introduction
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Chapter 7: Baseline Information 7 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 7.1 Introduction This section provides a description of the baseline environment in the study area, which may be affected by the proposed project. The receiving environment is described in terms of biophysical and socio-economic environmental factors, those which could potentially be directly or indirectly affected by the project, or which could themselves, affect the proposed project. This information was extracted from the various specialist studies undertaken during the EIA phase of this study as well as readily available information for the study area. Photographs used in this chapter were also sourced from specialist reports for both the EIA and scoping phase. 7.2 General Study Area 7.2.1 Regional Context The study area is located in the extreme western portion of the region of the Western Cape traditionally known as the Overberg Rûensveld. The Overberg Rûensveld region is characterised by rolling fields cultivated along contours planted pastures and the grazing of livestock. The natural vegetation in the region has mostly been transformed by agricultural activities however patches of natural vegetation are still found in drainage lines and on slopes too rocky or steep to cultivate. The westernmost portion of the study area is located in a transition zone between the Rûensveld and eastern foot slopes of the Houwhoek Mountains associated with the Groenlandsberg and north of Botrivier. The Rûensveld is strongly associated with the inland Overberg Region, especially as the landform contrasts so sharply with the mountainous area located between Somerset West and Botrivier. The Rûensveld landscape is characterised by undulating terrain, consisting of broad hummocks and rounded hills (“rûens”) criss-crossed by prominent drainage lines. The Rûensveld, which stretches east towards Riviersondereind and towards Bredasdorp, has been intensively cultivated for more than two and a half centuries. The Theewaterskloof dam is located approximately 15 km north of the northern most point of the proposed site. The nearest town to the proposed site is the small town of Botrivier, located approximately 0.5 km southwest of the western extremity of the site, but ~ 2.7 km from the closest proposed turbine . Sections of all four of the potential powerline route are located within 1.5 km of Botrivier. Sections of the potential northern route are located 0.3 km outside Botrivier. The larger and regionally more significant town of Caledon is located approximately 10 km to the east of the south- easternmost extremity of the site. The Overberg is bisected by the N2 running east-west. The N2 provides a link between the City of Cape Town to the west, and the scenic Garden Route (Mossel Bay and beyond) to the east. The Garden Route is an established tourist route of major significance. Although not forming part of the Garden Route, tourism has Langhoogte Wind Farm EIA 7-1 February 2013 EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Information become established as a major industry in the Overberg, often as an economic diversification strategy to agriculture. Figure 7.1: View west from the site towards the Bot River Valley, the location of Botrivier is indicated by the arrow Figure 7.2: View looking north from R 43 that links the N2 with Genadendal and Greyton. 7.2.2 Administrative Context In administrative terms, the proposed site is located within the Theewaterskloof Local Municipality (TLM), which, in turn, is one of four LMs that make up the Overberg District Municipality (ODM). The administrative headquarters of the ODM are located in Bredasdorp. The remaining three LMs are comprised by the Cape Agulhas LM (Bredasdorp), Swellendam LM (Swellendam) and Overstrand LM (Hermanus). The TLM is comprised of 12 wards. The majority of the Langhoogte WEF is located in Ward 7 with a small section located in Ward 4. Botrivier is the main town in Ward 7. The TLM is the largest of the four municipalities constituting the ODM, both in terms of geographical size as well as population. It covers approximately 3,248.3 km², and was estimated to have a population of 103,281 in 2007 (43.5 % of the ODM’s population) (Provincial Treasury, 2007). Langhoogte Wind Farm EIA 7-2 February 2013 EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Information Figure 7.3: Location of the Theewaterskloof Municipality (yellow) within the Overberg District Municipality (pink). Source: Theewaterskloof 2012 SDF Revision The most recent available data indicates that the TLM’s economy accounted for 40.6 % (R1.47 billion) of the ODM’s GDPR in 2005, and 0.98 % of that of the Province. Of the four constituent LMs in the ODM, it had the slowest recorded growth rate in the period 2004-2005 (viz. 3.4 %). Agriculture has traditionally been, and continues to be, the main provider of employment opportunities and contributor to GDPR in the Theewaterskloof. The LM’s economy is essentially built on agriculture, agri-processing and tourism (Provincial Treasury, 2007). Tourism is strongly linked to the agricultural sector, primarily with regard to the scenic landscapes associated with its main agricultural activities (e.g. picturesque orchards in the Grabouw valley and around Villiersdorp; rolling wheat and canola fields and pastoral scenes associated with small stock grazing in for instance the area between Caledon and Botrivier). With the exception of land use associated with the fruit producing area around Grabouw in the LM’s extreme west, the settlement pattern is relatively sparse, and is mainly comprised of open space, farms and smallholdings. Of the entire municipal area (3,248.3 km² = 324,830 ha), only 3,246 ha (=1 %) is constituted by demarcated urban land use. Caledon constitutes the largest town in the study area, and is of regional significance as a service centre to the surrounding hinterland. Other urban settlements in the LM include Botrivier, Riviersonderend, Greyton, Genadendal and Villiersdorp. Langhoogte Wind Farm EIA 7-3 February 2013 EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Information 7.2.3 Road Network The proposed Langhoogte Wind Farm site is located to the north of the N2 national road (<1.5 km at closest point). The N2 runs from Cape Town in the south-west, along the southern an eastern seaboard of South Africa, up to the Swaziland border in the north-west. The N2 bisects the TLM from west to east, and essentially provides the central “spine” from which a number of north-south arterial, main and secondary roads branch off. Caledon, Botrivier and Grabouw are located along the N2. The section of the N2 between Riviersonderend and Tsitsikamma is referred to as the world- renowned “Garden Route” scenic drive. The N2 segment traversing the TLM functions as the primary conduit of tourism traffic between the CCT and the Garden Route. The road currently sees significant HGV traffic (~15% of total), and may therefore also be considered a heavy vehicle route. Important linkage roads in the study area include: R43 south of Botrivier links the N2 and Botrivier to Hermanus and Kleinmond. This section of the R43 carries the bulk traffic between Cape Town and Hermanus. The R43 also serves as primary access route to Hermanus off the N2 from the east. The road currently sees significant HGV traffic (~15% of total), and may therefore be considered a heavy vehicle route (Gibb, December 2010). All four powerline route alternatives traverse the R43. R43 north provides a tarred link between the N2 in the south and Villiersorp and Breede Valley Municipality (Worcester N1) to the north. Twenty two turbines are located less than 1.5 km from the road, some are as close as approximately 150 m from the road. This section of the R43 may provide access to the WEF during construction and operational phases. Van der Stel Pass, this is a gravel road linking Botrivier in the south to the R45 west of Villiersdorp in the north. The road can be accessed from Botrivier or the R43 (via Hawston View), located to the north of the Langhoogte site. The road is currently traversed by three Eskom powerlines, one 400 kV line and two 132 kV distribution lines. This road would be traversed by the northern power line alterative. The nearest turbine is located approximately 1 km east of the road. The Helderstroom gravel road is located to the north of the WEF site. This road links the R43 to the town of Genadendal and Greyton. Both Genadendal and Greyton are important tourist towns. The Boontjieskraal Road provides an un-surfaced link between the R43 (Villiersdorp) and the N2 and can be used as a short cut to Caledon. This road is primarily used by local farmers. No access to the Langhoogte WEF site is proposed during the construction or operational phase. Langhoogte Wind Farm EIA 7-4 February 2013 EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Information Figure 7.4: View down Hawston View Road from the R43. R43 (HERMANUS) VAN DER STELL PASS RD R 43 (VILLIERSDORP) BOONTJIESKRAAL RD Figure 7.5: Study Area Road Network Langhoogte Wind Farm EIA 7-5 February 2013 EIA Report Chapter 7: Baseline Information 7.3 Biophysical Environment 7.3.1 Geology and Soils This information was obtained largely from the Agricultural Impact Assessment (Appendix E5). The dominant geological formation underlying the site is the Bokkeveld site with small sections Table-Mountain group underyling the extreme western section. Weathering of the landscape east of the Bot River has exposed a succession of geological sediments of the Bokkeveld Group, dating back to the late Silurian and early Devonian. These formations consist mainly of shale, siltstone and minor thin bedded sandstone. The older, thicker bedded sandstone of the Table Mountain Group is more resistant to weathering and comprises the higher mountains of the western part of the study area.