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The Theewaterskloof Wetlands Study

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The Theewaterskloof Wetlands Study THE THEEWATERSKLOOF WETLANDS STUDY There are three wetlands that surround the Water Supply System is filtering through the three plant clearing on a large scale in the mountainous Theewaterskloof Dam; namely the Du Toit’s wetlands. The Vyeboom Wetland is impacted by catchment of this dam. It is important that alien River Wetland, the Elandskloof Wetland and the flows from agricultural lands, such as pesticides, plants are eliminated from these wetlands and Vyeboom Wetland. The state of these wetlands herbicides and fertilisers, while the Elandskloof that where alien plants are at a low level, such as surrounding the Theewaterskloof Dam are Wetland is affected by both agriculture and flows in the Du Toits Wetland to the north of the dam, impacted by farming and flows from the town from the town of Villiersdorp, including water that these plants are maintained at this level. of Villiersdorp, which affects the quality of water from the informal settlement and the waste water flowing into the dam. The Theewaterskloof is the treatment works. Similarly, it is recommended that this study will largest dam in the Western Cape and is one of the act as a driver to an organisation such as Working main sources of water to the City of Cape Town. The significance of the inclusion of the Du Toits for Wetlands to understand the future value of Wetland is that it is essentially a pristine wetland, the Vyeboom Wetland, such that the necessary Therefore, it is important that we understand that then acts as a comparison with the other restoration is put in place to prevent further the flow of water; from the rain falling on the wetlands, offering an indication of how wetlands damage. The intrinsic value in terms of biodiversity surrounding mountain catchment areas to the in the area would have cleansed water before conservation of these three wetlands of the value of these wetlands, in filtering the water human interference. Theewaterskloof Dam have been qualitatively before the water enters the Theewaterskloof assessed in parallel in this study, as this is not Dam. It was found that about 80% of all water inflows easily assessed using economic valuation. It into the Theewaterskloof Dam, flow through these is considered that this Economic Valuation of For example, on the western side of the dam wetlands, which is important in a rainfall region of Selected Wetlands of the Theewaterskloof Dam is where the Vyeboom Wetland is, is erosion, that between 2000 and 3000 mm per year. Therefore, a unique study, where the loss of value over time is lessening the future value (flow of water) over an indirect value method of determining the of wetlands has not been assessed before. This time. It is thought that, if this loss of value over worth of the wetlands was used in an economic gives the opportunity for application of this value the next fifty years is understood in monetary model, which linked to the hydrological model modelling to other wetlands, to guide decision terms, then government, organisations and the of the Theewaterskloof Wetlands. In this indirect making and restoration expenditure. community will understand the economic balance value method, the question was asked as to what of spending money to restore these wetlands. it would cost to build a waste water treatment Wilna Kloppers, Director: Pollution and Chemicals works, to cleanse this amount of water filtering Management emphasised the importance of the THE STUDY through each of the three wetlands of the study. study,” this project focused on the assessment of As a result, the study of the value of the the value in terms of ecological services provided Theewaterskloof Dam wetlands was commissioned The decision was made to focus on the Vyeboom by the three wetlands in the catchment of the by our Chief Directorate: Environmental Quality, Wetland on the Western side of the Dam, as one Theewaterskloof Dam, which is the biggest under Gottlieb Arendse, Wilna Kloppers and hectare of the toe of the wetland, which is next to dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System Anabel Horn. The study was done this year and the dam, has already been damaged by erosion (WCWSS). 80% of the water that flows into the completed in November 2019. placing 25 hectares of wetland at risk. Also, the Theewaterskloof Dam flows through these three complex economic model of this study, projecting wetlands and therefore they play a major role A team under EScience Associates was appointed over the next fifty years, shows that if restoration in improving the water quality and regulating to carry out the study on the value of the wetlands does not occur in the Vyeboom Wetland, the loss the flow into the dam. The study illustrated that of the Theewaterskloof Dam, which included a of value of benefits, will be R 2.5 million in net investing in the protection and rehabilitation hydrologist, a wetland scientist and an economist. present value. of these wetlands makes sense, from both an economic and water security perspective”. The hydrological modelling of this study has The importance of ensuring water flows into the shown that almost 30% of the Western Cape Theewaterskloof Dam is driving invasive alien This map shows the three wetlands around the Theewaterskloof Dam. The blue arrows give the runoff water, as it enters the Theewaterskloof Dam, from the catchment. Vyeboom Wetland, west of the Theewaterskloof Dam. Editor’s Desk: Alet Steenekamp | Communication Services Green Ambassador Newsletter | December 2019 6 tel: 021 483 2823 | email: [email protected] Please note that hyperlinks may not be accessible on iPad Tweet us @WCGovEADP.
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